


From The Day We Met

by eternalnight8806



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Childhood Friends, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-01-19 00:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12399168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternalnight8806/pseuds/eternalnight8806
Summary: Modern highschool AU. Kagome and InuYasha have been friends since childhood. But as they've gotten older, feelings have changed for atleast one of them. A fateful night at a party will change everything for them both. Will our heroes find their way to eachother?





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue

 

She could feel the wind in her face as she sprinted through the schoolyard. A giggle escaped her lips as Koga called out to her. “Hey, Kagome! Wait up!” Long ebony hair swooshed over her shoulder as her head turned to face the young wolf demon chasing her. 

“Nah nah nah nah nah! You can't catch me!” She taunted him. Turning her head back to face forward, Kagome's dark eyes locked with the most beautiful color of amber she had ever seen. Unable to stop herself in time, she collided with the young boy who had those eyes, sending him shooting back into a tree and hitting his head. “Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?” Kagome asked the new little boy. She thought the teacher had said his name was InuYasha, but she wasn't sure. 

His amber eyes looked up at her, hurt and anger obviously present. “You idiot! Why don't you watch where you're going next time?” The young half-demon child shouted at her. 

Feeling defensive, Kagome clenched her fists at her side. “Hey, it's not like I meant to push you! I said I was sorry!” She shouted back just as Koga reached her. 

“Hey, dog-breath, leave Kagome alone!” Koga yelled in the face of the boy with the cute dog ears on top of his long, silver locks of hair. 

InuYasha turned to face the boy shouting at him. “What's it to you, ya stinkin' wolf?” 

“Kagome's my friend, that's what!” Koga screamed. 

Kagome stood between the two demon boys who were revving up for a fight. “Hey, you two, don't fight! It was an accident.” She stepped over to InuYasha. A sudden urge to touch those ears of his shook within her. With wonder in her eyes, she reached up and stroked them both in her tiny hands. 

InuYasha stared at the young girl as her hands came up to touch him. He didn't know why he didn't stop her as she invaded his personal space to touch his ears of all things. But when she touched him, he instantly felt calmer. A wave of soothing energy flooded his body and he felt a small smile play across his lips. “Ka-Kagome, huh? I guess that's kind of a pretty name...” he said softly. 

Her hands stopped their movement as she looked once again into those golden orbs of his. “Th-thanks.” She mumbled, nervously. She brought her hands back down to her sides. “I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“Keh, you're just a human girl. You couldn't hurt me.” The smile on his face was teasing, playful. 

She shrugged. “Still, I'm sorry. I-InuYasha, was it?” She asked him. 

“Yeah.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kagome smiled brightly at the boy. 

“Yeah, sure.” He said sarcastically, though he smiled back at her.


	2. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder:
> 
> This story is rated “M” because it contains acts of sexual assault, violence, rape, mild self harm, and consensual sexual situations. If any of these things are a trigger for you or you are easily offended, I highly suggest a different story. Reader discretion is advised. 
> 
> If you do wish to continue, I have placed an [*] at the beginning and end of each section involving acts of sexual violence should you wish to skip those parts. 
> 
> I do not own InuYasha.

Twelve years had passed since the day she had literally ran into InuYasha and they were now 17 year old high school students. Since that day, the two had become practically inseparable. They became fast friends, even though InuYasha was a little rough around the edges. They did everything together. They confided in eachother every little secret they could with the exception of one. Neither of them would admit it, but their feelings toward eachother had gradually shifted from friendship to something much deeper. 

“C'mon, InuYasha! Please go to Miroku's party with me? Pretty please? I don't want to be the only sober one there! And you know Koga and Ayame are gonna be there and I really don't wanna have to face them alone...” 

InuYasha shut his locker and looked down into the eyes of his closest friend. The friend he wished could be something more. “Won't Sango be there?” He asked her.

She waved her hand dismissively. “You know she's not gonna leave Miroku's side all night. C'mon! Pleeeeeeease?” Her eyes pleaded with him in that way she knew he couldn't say no to. 

Sighing heavily, he held up his hands in defeat. “Fine, fine, I'll go. But I'm not promising I'll have fun!” 

Kagome squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Oh, thank you, InuYasha!”

Reveling in the feel of her pressed against him, he wrapped his arms around her and smiled against her hair. “You owe me.”

“Pick me up at eight?” Kagome asked as she pulled away from his body. 

“Yeah, I'll be there.” 

Later that night, Kagome stood in front of the mirror in her room, inspecting her handiwork. She had chosen a daring outfit for this occasion, a black vinyl mini skirt that showed off her legs nicely and a very low cut blue v-neck tank top. Black flats had won out over heels. For once, she had taken the time to gently curl her hair, framing her heart shaped face nicely. Not one for too much makeup, she'd donned simple mascara and a light pink lipstick. Smiling at her reflection, she looked down at her phone to see what time it was. 7:57, InuYasha will here any min- The sound of the doorbell ringing stopped her mid thought. Snatching up her clutch purse and a light jacket, she literally ran for the door. 

“Hello, InuYasha.” Ms. Higurashi said as she opened the door. She smiled at the young man in front of her as she took in his appearance. A red leather biker jacket with wide sweeping arms didn't hide the red satin shirt he wore underneath, unbuttoned to mid chest. Tight black jeans and worn out black sneakers completed his 'I'm a badass' look. 

“Hey, Ms. H. I'm here for Kago-” InuYasha sucked in a breath as Kagome stepped into his line of sight and he took in her appearance. His amber eyes widened and he had to physically force himself to swallow past the huge lump that had formed in his throat. Suddenly, his choice of tight fitting jeans didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. 

Kagome's mother turned and smiled at her daughter. “Have a good time you two. Be safe, ok?”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.” She said as she pecked her on the cheek and swooped past her towards her hanyou best friend. Grabbing him by the hand, she pulled him towards his motorcycle parked in front of her house. “Let's go, InuYasha!” She exclaimed, excitedly. 

InuYasha felt like she had shocked him when she grabbed his hand. Shaking his head vigorously to clear it of the dirty thoughts there, he reluctantly let go of her hand to hand her the helmet he always kept on his bike for her. She pouted at it.

“Oh, c'mon, InuYasha! That thing's gonna mess up my hair!”

Sighing, he placed it on her head and snapped it closed. “Your mom would murder me if I let you ride without it. Besides, you look... beautiful.” He finished quietly, a light blush dusting his cheeks. 

Her eyes found his and she smiled brightly at him. “Thanks, InuYasha.” 

Nodding, he silently climbed onto his bike and waited for her to get behind him. Again, he sucked in a breath when he felt her arms wrap around his chest and her breasts pressed firmly against his back. This was going to be a very long night. 

The music from the party could be heard from a block away. InuYasha shook his head. Miroku never did anything half-ass. Course, when your dad is the mayor of the city, you can get away with a lot. He pulled his bike into the grass between two other cars and shut it off. Gracefully leaping from it, he turned to help Kagome down. She gladly accepted his hand and slid down from the bike. InuYasha didn't miss when her skirt rode up her thigh, almost exposing more intimate parts of her. Yep, the jeans were not a good idea at all, he thought. She stumbled into him and he caught her easily, wrapping her up in his arms. He took the chance to discreetly smell her hair. She always smelled so fucking good. It was maddening. 

“Geesh, guess it's good I don't drink since I can't even walk sober, huh?” She joked with him as she straightened herself up. 

Smirking down at her, InuYasha teased, “Yeah, you're too damn clumsy, woman.” 

“Kagome! InuYasha! You guys made it!” 

The pair turned towards the voice to see a very drunk Miroku stumbling towards them, Sango close on his heels. “Hey guys.” Kagome smiled at the couple. 

Miroku wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulder and looked at her with that sultry look he gave every girl. “So, is tonight the night I'm gonna convince you two into a threesome?” His eyebrows wiggled at her. 

Rolling her eyes, Sango smacked him in the back of the head. “Keep dreamin', you lech.” 

Miroku's shoulders slumped. “Can't blame a guy for tryin', can ya?” 

InuYasha laughed. “You deserved that, you know. Most girls don't really like it when their boyfriends flirt with other girls.” 

“Eh, Sango knows she's the only one for me.” He looked back at the girl in question, his eyes pleading with her to understand. “C'mon, let's go par-tay!” Miroku yelled as he stumbled back toward the house.

InuYasha rolled his eyes at his friend, but followed him nonetheless. When they stepped inside, they were greeted by most of their class enjoying a party in full swing. Music blared, drinks were poured, chants of 'chug, chug, chug' could be heard from somewhere within the house, a large cluster of people had deemed the dining room to be the dance floor, while some others had seemingly decided that the living room was the perfect spot for making out. 

Kagome's eyes wandered, taking in the scene before her. She had to admit, even for one of Miroku's parties, this one took the cake. A wide grin spread over her face as her feet carried her to the dining room. She wanted to dance.

InuYasha followed Kagome to the dining room but stopped in the doorway, leaning against it with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Kagome gave him a pleading look but he shook his head no. She shrugged and made her way to the edge of the makeshift dance floor. The music was so loud it vibrated the room. It revved it's way up through her body causing her to roll her hips and sway her arms above her head. The strobe lights flashed over her over and over, making her slightly dizzy. Her head swam and before she knew it she was headed face first towards the floor.

InuYasha stood and watched her from the corner of his eye, arms still crossed over his chest. The lighting in here was giving him a headache. When she started dancing however, his whole head turned to face the beauty that was Kagome. Her hips were moving in a way that suggested sex without being trashy about it. Her arms ran over her body from her creamy thighs up over her supple breasts and beyond, over her head. That skirt she was wearing was riding up her legs, tantalizing him with what was still unseen. The tank top she was wearing was very loose and as she brought her arms above her head, the fabric traveled up, showing off her sexy midriff. He had just managed to start breathing normally when she tripped over her own feet and began to fall. Like lightning, he was there, holding her in his arms, preventing her from falling quite literally on her face. 

“Hey, ya idiot. Watch where ya goin, huh?” he said, voice slightly husky from his desire for the woman in his arms. 

Kagome smiled and straightened herself up. “So sorry about that. I'm such a klutz.” She looked up into the eyes of her savior. Something there was different now. His eyes were... darker. There was a hunger there she didn't remember ever seeing before. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Dance with me, InuYasha?” she asked softly. 

Before he could say no, he felt her hips rocking against him in a very seductive way. Her chest swayed against his own, pressing to and fro in time with the music. The skin of her hands against the back of his neck sent tingles up and down his spine. He found himself wrapping his hands around her waist and moving his body with her own. The material of her shirt was very thin and as she pressed herself into his chest, he could feel her nipples. They were hard against him and the sensation rocked him to his core. 

Suddenly, Kagome took her hands from his neck and ran them down the front of his chest. She used this to propel herself to turn around in his arms and without knowing how she'd done it, InuYasha was now grinding into her behind. A low, guttural growl managed to escape his lips. InuYasha squeezed her hips in an effort to regain some of his control. For the life of him, he would never know what had possessed her to do what she did next. Taking his hand in her own, she placed it on her thigh and dragged his fingers along her skin. She leaned back against him and placed her head on his shoulder, continuing to sway with him. Her eyes met his and for a brief moment, he thought he saw desire in hers before they shifted away from his face to something else in the room. 

Kagome went rigid against InuYasha. There, not thirty feet away, was Koga practically fucking Ayame right there in the middle of the dance floor. It made her sick to see it. It had only been a month since he'd broken up with her and he was already all over Ayame. Kagome had known deep down that they wouldn't work out, but it didn't change the fact that the rejection stung. Tears welled up in her eyes and before she made a fool of herself in front of half the class, she pulled away from InuYasha and ran towards the upstairs bathroom. Vaguely, she heard InuYasha call out to her, but she had to get away. 

“Kagome!” InuYasha yelled as she ran upstairs without looking back. Shifting his gaze to what had upset her, his eyes landed on that bastard wolf ex-boyfriend of hers getting pretty hot and heavy with that other wolf, Ayame. “Damn him!” InuYasha said to no one in particular. Clenching his fists at his sides, he made his way over to the rotten scoundrel. 

Tears were streaming down her face when she finally closed the bathroom door and looked in the mirror. She was a mess. God, why was she crying like this? She hadn't loved him, she knew that. But the pain of knowing that you're that expendable cut her deeply. They had dated for almost two years before he broke it off with her and now a month later she's nothing but yesterday's garbage. Kagome sighed and brought a tissue up to her eyes, wiping away the remainder of her tears. She was going to have fun at this party if it killed her. 

Her thoughts shifted to what had just transpired between her and InuYasha. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of how she had danced with him. Never before had she been so brazen while dancing. Though, I've never danced with InuYasha before tonight, either, she thought. Could it be her imagination or had she felt like he was enjoying it, a lot? She could have sworn she'd heard him make some kind of noise but it had been too loud to know for sure. And when he looked at her, she knew there was something in that gaze that went beyond friendship. Or was there? Her hanyou was so hard to read sometimes and it was downright frustrating. 

Sighing heavily, a very confused and sexually frustrated Kagome fixed her makeup and resigned herself to facing Koga. And InuYasha. She opened the door and inhaled sharply when she was met with the eyes of someone standing there. 

InuYasha stormed over to Koga and lay one singular punch on the asshole, right across the jaw. Everyone in the immediate area stopped dancing and backed up several feet. They knew better than to get in the middle of two fighting demons. Koga sprang up from the floor, face red with anger. 

“What the fuck is your problem, mutt?!” He yelled, fists gripped tightly at his sides. 

“My problem, Ko-ga, is you dry humping your wolf bitch in Kagome's face!” InuYasha screamed back. 

“What's it to you, huh? It's not like she's yours or nothin'.” Koga sneered at him. 

InuYasha could feel his blood coursing through his veins. This bastard needed to be taught a fucking lesson. He looked up at Koga and the edges of his eyes were shining red. He lifted his hand in front of his face and cracked his knuckles, dangerously. “She's more mine than she was ever yours.” He whispered so only Koga could hear before launching himself at the demon wolf. 

“Oh, hi Hojo.” Kagome said, wearily. She really did not want to deal with him right now. 

“Hey, Kagome. I saw you down there ya know.” He said coolly, as he looked up at her face. 

What she saw there frightened her. His eyes were dark and cold, unlike any time she had ever seen Hojo. His lips were curled into a sneer rather than a smile and his hands were clenched at his sides. “Ho-Hojo?” 

“What's the matter, Kagome? Don't have anymore sexy moves saved up for me?” His voice came out strangled, angry. 

She backed away from him. “Wh-what's that, Hojo?” she stammered. 

*  
Hojo reached out and grabbed both of her arms in his hands. Sticking his face mere inches from hers, he spat out, “I said, where's the sexy moves for me, whore?” He waited a few seconds before continuing. “What? You only fuck demons, is that it? Too good for just us plain humans? I can't believe you would actually let one of those animals stick his cock in you. God, I never thought you were a fucking demon whore but... I guess that means I'm just gonna have to show you how a real man fucks a woman then, huh?” 

Kagome's eyes widened. Her body was frozen in place by terror. By the time she tried to get loose from his grip, he was already dragging her to Miroku's parents bedroom. She attempted to scream once but he smacked her across the face and told her to shut the fuck up or it would be much worse. She closed her eyes as he closed the door behind him and threw her down on to the bed. Oh God, she thought, is this actually happening? Am I actually going to be... raped? 

Hojo crushed his mouth down on hers and pried her mouth open with his tongue. His hands pawed at her body, roughly, leaving bruises in their wake. Her ears heard tearing as he ripped open the front of her shirt to bare her breasts to him. Why hadn't she worn a bra? She thought, not that it would make a difference. His mouth descended down on one of her breasts and she nearly cried out in pain when he bit her, hard. One of his hands held hers above her head while the other pulled her skirt up to her waist. Pulling aside her panties, Hojo shoved three fingers inside of her thrust them quickly. 

“Oh, nice and wet, I see. I knew you were a fucking whore.” He said against her breast. 

Kagome let out a small whimper at his invasion. It hurt so much. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried not to cry out and make him hit her again. She felt him tear off her panties and heard him unzip his pants. Oh god, this is really happening... she thought.   
*

Just before his claws met with Koga's face, InuYasha's ears twitched when he heard Kagome give out a strangled cry. Nothing any human would have heard, but he wasn't human. Kagome! He thought as panic shot through him. Stopping himself just shy of Koga, InuYasha turned around and leapt for the stairs. 

“Keh, I always knew he was a coward.” Koga said as he pulled Ayame close to him once more.

*   
Following Kagome's scent was easy enough once he was upstairs. The trail led him to the closed bedroom door of his host's parents. His ears were picking up noises from that room he did not like. Kicking down the door, InuYasha took in the sight of Kagome on the bed. Her face streaked with tears and filled with terror, eyes tightly closed. Her shirt was torn and revealing herself, her skirt hiked up and panties thrown on the floor, and Hojo poised to enter her.   
* 

Growling loudly, InuYasha grabbed Hojo while screaming, “GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!” He threw him out of the door and then picked him back up by the shirt collar. When he spoke, it was eerily calm. “If you ever even think of touching Kagome again, I will kill you.” Hojo nodded once and scrambled to get as far away from the demon with the flashing red eyes. 

Kagome opened her eyes in shock when she heard InuYasha's voice. She watched him toss Hojo out of the room and tell him something she couldn't hear. While he stood there shaking, trying to calm himself before turning back to face her, Kagome reveled in his heroism. How had he known? Had he heard her cry for help? Her mind wasn't working properly so when he did turn and immediately take off his shirt and cover her with it she almost didn't understand why. Then she remembered, Hojo had torn open her shirt. Self-conscious, she tried to pull down her skirt to cover herself. 

InuYasha sat down on the bed next to her, not looking at her. “Kagome?” he spoke softly, reaching out for her hand. She flinched almost imperceptibly at the touch. His ears drooped slightly at this, but he knew it wasn't him who had done this. Jaw set tightly, he almost jumped when she finally spoke.

“You... you came.” she said softly. 

Chancing a look in her direction, InuYasha's eyes were the only thing that showed how hurt he was. “Of course I came. I'll always protect you, Kagome.” He admitted. He brought his other hand up and was about to cup her face when he thought better of it. But she surprised him when she threw herself into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. His hands embraced her, but he shook when they came into contact with the bare skin of her back. He'd forgotten that only her front was covered. 

InuYasha simply held her, allowing her cry against him. Her body shook for several minutes while she did so. His heart broke at the sound and feel of her. If only I'd followed her upstairs... he thought. When her sobs finally subsided and her breathing was starting to return to normal, InuYasha pulled back from her slightly. “I'm so sorry, Kagome.”

Her bloodshot eyes met his. “For what?”

“For not following you upstairs. For not getting here sooner. For allowing that fucking bastard to lay a single finger on you...”

Kagome placed a single finger on his lips. “Hush, InuYasha. It's not your fault.” She looked around the room, forlornly. “Could you... take me home? Please?” 

InuYasha simply nodded and let go of her frame. God, letting her go right now while she was in so much pain felt so wrong but he wanted to do as she wished. He stood and turned his back to allow her to pick up what was left of her clothes and put them back in place. When she told him he could turn around, the sight of her in his shirt took his breath away. It was so big on her it almost covered the skirt she was wearing. She only had the top button undone, but it sat so low on her chest that he could see a ample amount of cleavage. He briefly closed his eyes and reminded himself that now was most definitely not the time. 

“I'll take us out the window so no one will ask any questions.” he said as he smiled at her. She rewarded him with the barest of smiles, but he would take it under the circumstances. He gently scooped her up in his arms and leapt out of the window down to the ground. Luckily, the party hadn't spilled outside as of yet so no one was there to see them. 

Carefully, he set her down on the ground by his bike and put her helmet on her. Sliding his leg over, he reached out a hand to help her on. She slid her leg down the length of his and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding on more tightly than normal. InuYasha started up his bike and sped off without a second glance behind him.


	3. Awakened

When they neared the Higurashi shrine, however, he heard her breathing become labored. Pulling over, he leapt off to turn and face her. “Kagome? What's wrong?” Her heartbeat was frantic and her breathing was fast becoming scarily close to hyperventilation. 

She looked into his eyes and immediately started to feel a wave of calm. Her heartbeat started to slow and her breathing became less intense. When she felt able to speak, she replied, “Take me to your house, please?”

Puzzled but not wanting to cause her further upset he just said, “Ok, Kagome,” and climbed back onto his bike to speed towards his own home. 

He didn't live far from her, yet another reason they had become such good friends, so the ride was short. By the time they got there, however, her breathing had seemed to calm back down to normal. He shut off his bike and waited for her to unwrap her arms from him but she just held on. Cautiously, he reached up and gently pulled her arms from him, but didn't let go of her hand as he turned to face her. “Can... can I stay here tonight, InuYasha?” she asked him, hesitantly. 

InuYasha choked back his surprise. There had to be some reason she didn't want to go home and he would do anything to make the pain in her eyes go away. “Ye-yeah. Of course.” He reached for his keys but her hand stopped him. 

“Can you just take me up through your window? Like you used to when we were kids?” 

Without a word, he scooped her up and jumped up to his always open window. He loved the fresh air too much to ever close it. Once inside, he set her down and nervously put his hands in his pockets. Was there something he should say? Should he do something? Call someone? No one had ever taught him what to do if your best friend almost gets raped. After a few moments he spoke quietly, “I'll, uh, I'll go sleep on the couch.” He started to make his way towards the door when she reached out a hand to stop him. 

“No. Could you... could you just hold me, InuYasha?” The desperation in her voice tore at his soul. Her hand on his arm felt like fire against his skin. God, he hoped he could hold it together for her. He nodded once, afraid to speak. Her hand dropped from his arm and he went to his dresser. He came back to her with a large tshirt and held it out to her. “I-I don't have any pants that would fit you...” 

Kagome took the shirt from him and gave him just a hint of a smile. “The shirt will be fine, InuYasha, thank you.” 

Running his hand through his hair nervously, InuYasha turned and mumbled something about taking a shower while she changed. After he'd left and Kagome was all alone in his room, she sat down on the edge of his bed, the tshirt still in her hand. This was sure not how she had expected this night to go. At first, she'd wanted to go home, but the closer they got to her house, the more panic she began to feel. She couldn't face her mom right now. Or her childhood bedroom, still housing what little innocence she had left. But when she had looked into InuYasha's eyes and felt instantly calmer, she knew she needed him tonight. She knew that she needed the comfort only his touch could bring her, which is why she asked him to bring her here. 

She knew that she was lucky. Hojo hadn't actually had the chance to rape her, but her body was bruised. Her clothes were torn and ruined. Her mouth could still feel his lips pressing down on hers. Her whole body ached and she felt... destroyed. Even though she had dated Koga for over a year and a half, they had never actually had sex. She was still a virgin, thanks to InuYasha. 

Her mind barely registered the sound of the water being shut off in the bathroom, signifying InuYasha would be returning soon. She stood and slowly took off her skirt and the shirt InuYasha had lent her. Standing in front of the mirror on his bedroom door, she inspected her body. Her thighs and breasts were covered in dark purple bruises. She could see the imprint of teeth where he had bit her. Her cheek was mildly swollen from where he had smacked her. Sighing deeply at the sad sight, she donned the oversized tshirt. It didn't cover all the bruises, but most of them were now invisible to the outside world. A knock came at the door, startling her. 

“Kagome?” came InuYasha's voice softly through the door. 

“C-come in.” She stammered. 

The door opened and when he stepped in wearing nothing but basketball shorts, still slightly damp from his shower she sucked in a breath. She knew he had a great body but she hadn't seen this much of him at once in years. His chest had just a light dusting of silver curls that went down to that lovely little 'v'. His abs were chiseled and obviously tightly toned. 

InuYasha looked up at the woman in his room and his heart skipped a beat. The shirt he had given her was barely long enough to cover what it needed to cover. He'd made the mistake of giving her a white one, which meant he could see the outline of her nipples pressed against the cloth. His eyes traveled to her face and he scowled when he saw the faint outline of a bruise on her cheek. Looking for more signs of injury, he allowed his eyes to wander her body. Finding more bruises that he could see on her thigh it took everything in him not to leap out the window, go and find that Hojo bastard and murder him where he stood. But he knew Kagome needed him here, and that was more important. 

He watched as she made her way to his bed and climbed in. Ok, it's gonna be ok...InuYasha thought. I can keep my hands off of her. She faced him and signaled for him to join her. Slowly, he walked to his bed. Never before in his life had it been so hard to move as it was right then. He climbed into his bed and laid his head on the pillow, clenching the fabric of his sheet in his hands. 

“InuYasha?” came her breathy voice.

“Yeah?” 

She reached out and pulled him around her, spooning her, wrapping his arm around her and tucking his hand right below her breast. InuYasha bit his lower lip as he felt himself pressed so tightly against her backside. It reminded him of how they had been on the dance floor that night and that thought sent his body into a frenzy. “Thank you.” she said sweetly. 

“What for?” he breathed into her ear.

“For saving me. For letting me stay here. For being here with me, now. For... everything.”

Lightly, he nuzzled the back of her hair with his nose, secretly breathing her in. “You don't have to thank me, Kagome. I'm always gonna be here for you, ya hear me?” he said, a little more gruffly than he had intended. She squeezed his arm in response. Soon, with his nose against her hair, their breathing both slowed and the pair slept. 

Not more than 2 hours had passed before InuYasha was being awakened by Kagome's screams. Amber eyes shot open and he sat up quickly to check on the girl next to him. Her eyes were closed, telling him she was still asleep. Gently, he reached out and stroked her cheek as he called out to her,”Hey, Kagome. It's ok. It's just a dream. It's ok. I'm here. Please wake up, Kagome.” 

Slowly, the screaming stopped and her eyes opened. However, they were hazy, unfocused, and her breathing was fast becoming rapid and shallow. InuYasha continued stroking her cheek and spoke to her, barely in a whisper. “Shh. It's alright Kagome. I'm right here. It's InuYasha. I'm not going anywhere. Shh.” He watched as her breaths slowly returned to normal and her eyes showed signs of recognition. Kagome sat up, rather quickly. Turning her head slowly to face the half-demon beside her, the word she uttered was barely audible. “I-InuYasha?” 

“I'm right here, Kagome.”

Suddenly, flashes of the terrible images that had sent her to screams came to her mind. The nightmare she'd been having had been so vivid, so real, so... terrifying. Kagome's eyes began to water. Without a word, she launched herself in InuYasha's arms and cried her heart out. Her tears ran down her face and all over his bare chest, soaking him. 

InuYasha wrapped his arms around the crying girl and began gently stroking her back with his thumbs, trying to calm her. The action caused him to remember when she had been the one comforting him 7 years ago when his mom had died. InuYasha had been terribly distraught and Kagome was the only person who could get through to him at all. Without her, he didn't know how long it would have taken for him to find his way back. Shaking his head of the sad memories, he placed his nose against the top of her head. Her shaking had subsided, so he broke the silence. “Wanna talk about it?”

Kagome leaned back and wiped at her tear stained face. God, she had to look a wreck right then, she thought. Not wanting to meet his eyes just yet, she focused on his chest. His very wet chest. “Oh, InuYasha, I'm so sorry.” She said as she tried to wipe them away with her hand. 

InuYasha gasped at her sudden touch, but his hands shot out to still hers. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, understand?” 

Her hands frozen within his, Kagome simply nodded. She could feel how hot his skin was beneath her fingers. His chest rose and fell rapidly as his breathing was slowly increasing in speed. Her eyelashes drifted upward and her chocolate eyes met his amber. Again, she thought she saw something there that just couldn't be, desire. Her thoughts shifted to when he'd looked at her like that at the party and a flush crept up her cheeks. “I-InuYasha?” 

“Hmm?”

“Am I... am I a... a whore?”

She felt him stiffen underneath her hands. His eyes changed from whatever foreign look they were holding to a more familiar one, anger. “Why the hell would you even think that, Kagome?” he managed through gritted teeth. 

Her eyes shifted down away from his angry gaze. He hadn't said no. “Just... just something that Hojo said...”

InuYasha gripped her shoulders, firmly. “You listen to me, Kagome. Don't you dare listen to a fucking word that piece of shit cowardly fuck had to say, you hear me? You... you are the kindest, sweetest, purest person I've ever known. You got that?”

Kagome's mouth dropped. Never in her life had she heard InuYasha say such sweet things about anyone, ever. But she still needed to know. “It's not just that, InuYasha. Earlier, when we... we were dancing... before I saw Koga and ran off... I... we...” she gritted her teeth in frustration, “When... when Hojo... when he touched me... I was... ready.” She finished meekly, her blush growing deeper. 

InuYasha took a moment to process what she'd said. If he understood her correctly, their dancing had made her wet. Was she ashamed? Scared? Confused? “Kagome... are you saying that... that I...?”

“Yes,” was her quiet and simple reply. 

“And you think that makes you... a whore?”

A simple nod. 

“Oh Jesus, woman. Why the fuck would ever think that?” 

She shrugged. 

InuYasha tilted her face to look up at him. He didn't miss the flushed cheeks she was sporting. “Kagome, there's nothing wrong with wanting sex. Or with... getting excited. Or pleasuring yourself.” He snapped his mouth closed. He hadn't meant to say that last part. Kagome's features changed from embarrassed to complete shock. 

She looked from his eyes to his lips several times before finally bringing in a deep breath and saying, “I thought you were gonna kiss me...” She watched his features go into panic mode and misinterpreted that as rejection. She quickly added, “But what a silly notion, huh? I mean us? Kissing?” She tried to hide her embarrassment with a laugh. 

“I wanted to,” InuYasha said quickly. 

“Y-you did?”

“Yeah, and I was gonna do it to... until you saw Koga that is...” His eyes were the only thing that betrayed his jealousy. 

“Oh...” Kagome looked up at her best friend, the dog hanyou that fate had thrust upon her and knew she loved him. In that moment, full realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She was in love with InuYasha. Who else could she have shared her deepest thoughts with? Who else would have come running to her rescue like he did tonight, and so many others? Who else would have let her crawl into bed with them, no questions asked? Her answer, no one else. “Do you... still want to?” she asked shyly. 

InuYasha looked at her in surprise but answered before he even had time to think about it, “With every fiber of my being.”

She pushed herself up onto her knees, bringing their faces within inches of eachother. Her eyes locked onto his in a silent dare. “Then kiss me, InuYasha.”


	4. The Bond

InuYasha closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally. This only succeeded in bringing more of her intoxicating scent to his nose. “Ka-Kagome...” he opened his eyes. They were dark, and his voice came low and raspy. “I-I can't. Not now. Not like this. You're not in the right state for something like that.” He cupped her face in his palm. “When I kiss you, I want it to be because you want me to, not because of... what happened.” He finished somberly. 

Kagome slumped back down onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, InuYasha! Why did this have to happen?” 

Instinctivly, InuYasha wrapped Kagome up in his arms and began rocking her back and forth, like a mother would a baby. She didn't flinch at his touch which gave him hope for her well being. “You're strong, Kagome. The strongest woman I've ever known. You're gonna get through this, ok? You hear me? You're gonna be ok.” 

For an hour, he continued telling her she was stronger than this one incident until, finally, he heard her slow even breaths, signifying she was asleep. InuYasha simply held her as she slept, afraid to wake her again. When she began to whimper in her sleep, he rubbed her back and whispered soothingly into her ear until it subsided. This happened another five times before the sun had long been up and he finally felt her stirring in his arms. 

Still laying against his chest, Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Upon feeling someone's body beneath hers, she shot up and looked into InuYasha's eyes. Her head swiveled around the room before settling back on his face. “D-did you stay like that... all night?” she asked him, sheepishly. InuYasha simply nodded in response. A blush crept up Kagome's cheeks. “Y-you could have moved me...”

“I didn't want to.” He said softly. “You had a lot of nightmares. You seemed... calmer with me there.”

“O-oh.” Kagome looked away from his face and sat there for a few moments. Suddenly, she went to get out of bed. InuYasha gently grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back at him. 

“Don't you think we should... talk?” 

“About what?” she asked, a slight hint of anger in her voice. 

“About what happened and what we're gonna do about it?” he said through gritted teeth. 

“What we're gonna do? What do you mean, we?”

InuYasha ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Don't you think you should tell your mom? Report that asshole? Something?” He looked into her eyes. “I can be there...”

Kagome's face turned toward the floor. “Can't we just forget it ever happened?” she whispered. 

His face widened in shock. “Kagome, you can't let him get away with this. He needs to be punished for what he did to you.” 

She shrugged. “You hit him pretty hard last night. Maybe that's punishment enough.” Her voice resounded defeat. 

Scooting closer to her, InuYasha turned her face to his once more. “You know he deserves more than that, Kagome.”

Tears welled up in her eyes for what felt like the millionth time in the last 12 hours. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to wrap herself in the comfort he offered. “I know... I just don't know if I can do it. I don't think I can face everyone. Have them look at me and know. I'll be that girl. The one who needs your pity. And God, my mom! I can't tell her. She'd be so disappointed in me.”

“Your mom would not be disappointed in you, Kagome. Worried, yes. But disappointed, never. Not for this.” He held her for a moment longer before he continued. “Please, Kagome. You'll regret it if you let him get away with it.” 

After a few moments, Kagome sighed and nodded her head against him. “You're right. I know you're right. But I can't do it. Not yet. Just... give me some time. Please, InuYasha?”

“Kagome...” he started, but she interrupted him. 

“I promise I'll tell her. Just... let me wait a little while, ok? I need some time.”

InuYasha didn't like it, but he wanted to respect her wishes. “Alright, Kagome.” 

She didn't move from his embrace for quite some time. When she did pull away, InuYasha immediately missed the feel of her in his arms. “Can I take a shower?” 

“Yeah. I'll call your mom and let her know you're here.” Kagome gave him a scared look. He held up his hands defensively. “I won't say anything, I promise. Just that you're here and safe.” 

“Ok. Thank you.” She said as she stood. InuYasha didn't miss that she winced in pain as she walked. His fists clenched and unclenched several times as he watched her gather up her skirt and head out the door. Blood boiling, all InuYasha wanted to do was sink his claws into the throat of that fucking Hojo. He allowed himself a few calming breaths before he picked up his phone off the night stand and pulled up Kagome's mom in his contacts. 

“Hello, InuYasha.” Came the cheeful voice of Ms. Higurashi. 

“Hey, Ms. H. Look, eh, Kagome crashed over here last night. It was so late she didn't want to wake up the whole house by coming in. I'm sorry if we worried you.” The lie fell from his mouth easily. 

“Oh, it's alright, InuYasha. I know she's safe with you. Thank you for calling.”

“Sure, Ms. H.”

“Alright, bye then, hun.”

“Yeah, bye.” InuYasha tossed his phone down on his bed and got up to get dressed while Kagome wasn't in the room. 

Kagome closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. She looked down at the skirt in her hands and wanted to launch it out of the window, but she knew it was her only option for covering her lower half. She settled for tossing it on the floor as she stepped over to the shower to turn the dials. The water fell from the shower head in slow motion to her eyes. She watched it start to steam before she disrobed and stepped inside. 

After 20 minutes, Kagome was still in the shower. The water was running, atleast. InuYasha paced his bedroom. Was she ok? Should he go knock on the door? That's when it hit him. Blood. Her blood. Without a second thought, InuYasha raced to the bathroom and burst through the door. The whole room was bathed in thick steam from the hot water. Even his demon eyes needed a moment to adjust. 

“Kagome?” he called out softly. The smell of her blood wasn't overpowering, but it was definetely there. His ear twitched when he heard the quietest of sobs from the shower. Deciding her safety was more important than her modesty, he slowly opened the shower curtain. For a moment, he was confused because he didn't see her, but then he looked down. 

She was curled up on the floor of the shower directly under the shower spray, crying. The water was so hot her entire body was lobster red. She had her knees pulled up to her chin and her eyes were unfocused. He was pretty sure she didn't even know he was there. A small trail of red was making it's way from her body to the drain. InuYasha's eyes widened when he saw her hand constantly scraping the same spot on her breast with his loofah, causing the skin to break open. 

Moving quickly, InuYasha turned off the spray of water. He grabbed a large towel from the linen closet next to the sink and knelt down beside Kagome. Cautiously, he reached out and tried to pry the loofah from her grip. She held on tight. He heard her whisper one word, 'Dirty'. Using more force, he was able to get the loofah from her. Slowly, he wrapped her up in the towel and lifted her up in his arms, carrying her back to his bedroom. 

InuYasha used his foot to kick his door closed behind him. Using much care, he lay Kagome down on the bed. The towel may have been covering her from his view, but her flushed, wet skin tempted him in ways he had only ever dreamt about. Sitting next to her, he risked putting his hand on her cheek. “Kagome? Can you hear me?”

Her head turned into his touch as she looked at the hanyou boy. When she tried to sit up, she winced in pain from her self-inflicted wound. How had she gotten back to InuYasha's room? Why was she only in a towel? Had InuYasha... had he carried her? Had she blacked out? The last thing she remembered was feeling like she had to get clean because she was just so dirty. InuYasha's voice brought her from her thoughts. 

“Kagome? Hey, it's ok. I'm right here. I'm not going nowhere.” 

She didn't speak, but nodded her understanding. 

“Kagome...” InuYasha wasn't sure what he should say. His mouth pursed in frustration with himself. 

“It seems you're always saving me, InuYasha, even from myself.” Her voice was barely a whisper. 

The urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her was almost too strong to bear, but he clenched his fists and ground his teeth. “What... what can I do, Kagome?” 

She looked at his fists clenching his sheets. Understanding what he wanted, she realized she wanted the same thing. Without a word, she pulled him further into bed and wrapped his arms around her. This was the only time she felt safe, happy, normal. Every time she left his arms, her thoughts tended to wander. 

They ended up sharing one pillow, facing eachother, with his arms pulling her as close to him as he could. She could feel his nose against her scalp and wondered vaguely why he seemed to gravitate there. Her hands were trapped between them, splayed on his chest. 

Time passed, how much InuYasha never knew. He had been wrestling with an idea all night but was afraid to even tell her. But seeing her on the floor of his shower, so beaten, had made his heart shatter. He needed to do something. Steadying himself, he breathed in deeply and pulled away from her just a bit. She flinched slightly at the sudden motion, but didn't say anything. “Kagome...”

“Hmm?” 

“There's... there's a way I might be able to atleast heal your wounds.” His voice was quiet, hesitant. 

“You... can heal people?” She asked, a small amount of wonder present. 

“Well, not exactly. What I can do is share some of my aura with you, which would speed up the healing process.”

“O...k....” she said, knowing that he had more to say. 

“There's just... a lot of things.”

“Like?”

“Well, there's... side effects, assuming it works.” 

“What kind of side effects?”

“If I can do it properly, we'll share a temporary bond. I won't be able to read your thoughts or anything but we'll be able to sense eachother's emotions, feel if they get hurt, feel if they experience something that brings them great pleasure, and we'll sense when the other is nearby.”

Kagome was quiet for a moment. This sounded intense, and he wasn't even finished. “How... how long will it last?”

“Depends. Could be a few hours or several days.” 

She took a long breath. “Ok, what else?'

“Well, to do it properly, we have to be holding eachother.”

“So?”

“We both have to be... naked.” he mumbled. This was a very stupid idea. He never should have brought it up. What the hell had he been thinking?

“I see,” was all she said. 

He'd gone too far. He never should've opened his big fucking mouth. Why the fuck did he think it was a good idea to suggest getting naked to a girl who not 24 hours ago was the victim of sexual assault? He really wanted to smack himself but his hands were trapped around her. 

Several minutes passed with neither of them saying anything or moving. He felt her nervousness in her posture. He really should say something...

“Ok,” she said, determinedly. 

He stiffened. “Wh-what?”

She pulled back enough to look at him. “I want the pain to go away. If feeling what you feel and having you hold me naked gets me that, I'm willing to try.”

“Are you sure, Kagome?” She didn't hesitate as she nodded. He pulled away from her and stood. Turning his back to her, he began stripping. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed but she couldn't seem to look away. His back muscles moved with cat like grace as he pulled the shirt up over his head. The sound of his zipper seemed to echo in the room. In the back of her mind, she knew that she should probably be panicking. But for some reason, InuYasha only brought her mind peace. Her eyes followed his hands as they slid down his legs, bringing his jeans and boxers with them. She realized that he was waiting for her to pull off the towel she had wrapped around her. Standing, she allowed the towel to drop to the ground. 

InuYasha's ears twitched when her towel fell. Hoarsely, he told her to come stand more in the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and held his breath as he listened to her soft footsteps move and stop. Steadying himself, InuYasha opened his eyes and turned to face her. His eyes roamed her body, finding too much evidence of her pain. But she was beautiful. Her eyes looked at his with trust and need.

Like magnets, the two walked towards eachother and pulled the other as close they could. He buried his nose in her hair, close to her neck, and breathed in her scent. He allowed his mind to clear as he held her. He thought of helping her, healing her pain. She pulled back and looked into his eyes and that's when it happened. 

It was like a small tornado had enveloped the pair but they were unmoving. Pure power, both red and pale pink swirled together around them. Their hair flew up around them, wildly. Chocolate and amber never blinked. The power tornado gained in intensity, swirling ever faster around them. Kagome could feel a huge pressure within her, pulling her towards InuYasha. It felt so... right, so natural. Before she knew what she was doing, she had leaned in and pulled him down to her for a kiss. The moment their lips touched, the power around them exploded upward, turning one shade of medium reddish-pink. When InuYasha moaned against her and ground his mouth down on hers, deepening the kiss, the new combined power launched itself into both of them, the force prying them apart. 

The pair stood there gasping for breath. Kagome was the first to talk. “W-was that how it was supposed to go?” 

“I-I don't know.” InuYasha admitted. “I've never actually done it before.”

“Oh, I see.” Kagome said as she went to pick up the towel. 

InuYasha's head was spinning. Why had she kissed him? What was she feeling? Should he ask? Frustrated, he snatched up his clothes and yanked them on. 

She watched him pull on his pants, seemingly angry. “I'm gonna go... get dressed.” She said before walking out of his room. 

InuYasha turned and punched his wall, leaving a nice round hole. Fuck. He ran his hands through his hair and paced again. What the hell had that been? Was it the aura sharing he had intended? He had always been told that that left the demon feeling slightly weak but he felt strong, rejuvenated even. But when he thought about Kagome, it was like he could see her in his mind's eye. He knew when she was walking back to the bedroom, and not because he could hear her, but because he could feel her. Which meant he could feel how anxious she was, but her pain had seemed to ebe, a lot. 

As she stepped through the door wearing her skirt from last night and the tshirt he had lent her to sleep in, he tried to find her injuries. Some of them would still be visible even with her clothes on. Surprisingly, he found no trace of the bruises that had been so clear on her thighs, or the one on her cheek. She gave him a weak smile. 

“Feeling better?” he asked. 

She nodded. 

“Good.” He rocked back and forth on his heels, unsure what to say. “Do... do you want me to take you home?” He asked, gently. 

Her face fell and shoulders slumped. She should go home. But for some reason the thought of leaving his side brought her anguish. But her rational brain won out in the end. “Yeah. I guess you'd better, huh?” She said with a very weak smile. 

Stepping up to be within a breath of her, InuYasha said, “If you need me, I'll be there.”

“I know,” she said simply, her smile widening slightly. 

From halfway across the world, Sesshomaru's eyebrow quirked upward. It couldn't be? Had he just felt... So, little brother, you've made your choice then...


	5. The Dreams

Kagome slipped down from behind InuYasha and set her helmet down. Somehow, the idea of not being close to him was breaking her apart. Her eyes met his and she knew he was feeling the same way. Man, this bond thing is gonna really take some time to get used to... Kagome thought. Though she found herself enjoying knowing the emotions of the person who only ever showed anger. In her heart, she knew she would sad when the effects wore off. 

InuYasha watched her watching him. It could have been merely seconds or hours, he didn't know. His eyes found her lips and he stiffled the urge to capture them in his own as she had done to him not an hour ago. Hands gripping his handlebars tight, he smiled at her. “Just... text me if you need me, ok?”

A slight frown crossed her features. “Y-yeah. Sure.” She blessed him with a small smile of her own before turning and walking up the steps to her house. Chancing a look back, she turned her head to find him still sitting there, waiting for her to go inside. The look in his eyes was easy to read, even from this distance. She gulped and waved at him as she opened her door and stepped through. 

“Kagome, dear, you're home!” Came the happy voice of her mother as she walked in from the kitchen. “Did you have fun at the party, sweetie?” 

Kagome couldn't help it when her face fell. Flashes of Hojo came to her mind. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths before putting a fake smile on her face and facing her mother. “It was ok, mom.”

“Have you eaten this morning?” Kagome's stomach answered for her with a mighty growl. Her mother gave a light giggle. “C'mon on, I'll fix you some breakfast.”

“I'll be right there mom. I need to get some fresh clothes.” 

“Ok, sweetie.”

Kagome walked up to her bedroom and leaned against her closed door. She looked into her room. It still looked the same. Nothing looked different to her, even though everything had changed for her since she had last laid eyes on her bedroom. Slowly, she came away from her door and walked to her dresser to pull out some jeans and a shirt. She pulled the skirt off of her and stared at the crumpled fabric in her hands. Her jaw set, she fisted it quickly before tossing the garment into the wastebasket by her desk. 

Her skin prickled as she brought her jeans up over her legs. Physically, she felt so sensitive. Her hands came up to pull off the tshirt InuYasha had given her, but when she brought it to her nose the smell of him hit her senses like a tidal wave. Even though she had been the one wearing it, it still held onto his distinct scent. A true smile played on her lips and she decided to keep the shirt on for now. Having him near, even just like this, gave her comfort. 

InuYasha slammed his door behind him and threw himself down onto his bed with a loud groan. What the hell had he been thinking? Sharing his aura with her had been a very bad idea, but atleast her body was healed now. Her soul, however, still needed time. InuYasha's mind was full of confusion and frustration but the fact that he hadn't slept caught up with him and he was soon fast asleep.   
InuYasha stood and watched her from the corner of his eye, arms still crossed over his chest. The lighting in here was giving him a headache. When she started dancing however, his whole head turned to face the beauty that was Kagome. Her hips were moving in a way that suggested sex without being trashy about it. Her arms ran over her body from her creamy thighs up over her supple breasts and beyond, over her head. That skirt she was wearing was riding up her legs, tantalizing him with what was still unseen. The tank top she was wearing was very loose and as she brought her arms above her head, the fabric traveled up, showing off her sexy midriff. He had just managed to start breathing normally when she tripped over her own feet and began to fall. Like lightning, he was there, holding her in his arms, preventing her from falling quite literally on her face. 

“Hey, ya idiot. Watch where ya goin, huh?” he said, voice slightly husky from his desire for the woman in his arms. 

“So sorry about that. I'm such a klutz.” She looked up into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Dance with me, InuYasha?” she asked softly. 

Before he could say no, he felt her hips rocking against him in a very seductive way. Her chest swayed against his own, pressing to and fro in time with the music. The skin of her hands against the back of his neck sent tingles up and down his spine. He found himself wrapping his hands around her waist and moving his body with her own. The material of her shirt was very thin and as she pressed herself into his chest, he could feel her nipples. They were hard against him and the sensation rocked him to his core. 

Suddenly, Kagome took her hands from his neck and ran them down the front of his chest. She used this to propel herself to turn around in his arms and without knowing how she'd done it, InuYasha was now grinding into her behind. A low, guttural growl managed to escape his lips. InuYasha squeezed her hips in an effort to regain some of his control. For the life of him, he would never know what had possessed her to do what she did next. Taking his hand in her own, she placed it on her thigh and dragged his fingers along her skin. She leaned back against him and placed her head on his shoulder, continuing to sway with him. Her eyes met his and in that moment, InuYasha did the one thing he had wanted to do for a very long time. 

His hands came up to her shoulders and turned her around in his arms. Her lips parted slightly and he watched as her tongue flicked over them, tantalizing him. Time seemed to stand still as his hand came up to cup her cheek and the other pulled her into him. She gave a little gasp of surprise but didn't object. When he finally pressed his lips against hers, InuYasha felt like he was finally complete. 

Kagome sat down and waited for her mother to place the plate with her omelet on it in front of her. She yawned. 'That's odd,' she thought. 'I got plenty of sleep last night...' The steaming food was set in front of her and Kagome smiled up at her mom. Looking down at it though, she found she wasn't hungry. Deciding she had to atleast make an effort she took a single bite. A thought struck her, InuYasha must be exhausted. That must be why she was so tired. Wow, she hadn't realized the bond would be so strong. 

Kagome moaned into his mouth and pressed herself into his body. Forgetting that anyone else was in the room, he dug his fingers into her hair and began kissing down her jawline. The soft moan that escaped her lips was music to his ears. 

“Thanks, mom. I'm gonna go up to my room now.” Kagome called out to her mom after she had rinsed her dishes in the sink. Once in her room, she dropped rather unceremoniously onto her bed and hugged her pillow. She had just begun to wonder about what other things would come with the aura sharing she had done when she felt it. It was like a whisper against her skin, but it was there. She could feel him and he was... very happy. 

“Kagome...” he whispered into her ear, voice husky with need. 

“InuYasha... I want you...”

A low growl escaped the hanyou as he smothered her neck with his lips. When he looked back into her face and saw her raw need displayed there, he could no longer hold back. Slowly, he took her by the hand and led her back outside. At the look of confusion in her eyes he simply whisked her up in his arms and told her to trust him. She nodded and he was running. 

Before long, he had reached his destination and jumped up into his bedroom window, the object of his affections safely in his arms. He set her on her feet and looked into those chocolate eyes that he could get lost in. He watched her look around and then turn back to him. “Why'd you bring me here, InuYasha?” she asked. 

He stepped over to her and gently pulled her face up to meet his. “Because you deserve more than a random bedroom at a random party.” Then, much to his surprise, Kagome closed the distance between them and pressed her entire body into his. His whole being responded immediately. His hands became tangled in her hair as her hands worked on the buttons of his shirt. 

The feel of her fingers on his bare chest forced him to gasp into her mouth. He felt her smile against his lips. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and it hit the floor behind him. Hands shaking, InuYasha moved his hands up her waist under her shirt and found her bare chest. He sucked in a breath at the feel of her. 

Kagome's breathing was becoming more labored. Jesus, she couldn't remember ever being this turned on, ever. It was a feeling that she absolutely knew was not her own. Her abdomen was contracting and she knew her nipples were rock hard. The feel of them against his shirt was making her shiver. Her hand flung around on her nightstand for her phone. 

[hey, are you ok?] she managed to type and hit send to the person she knew was causing her current plight. 

Unable to hold back any longer, InuYasha picked Kagome up from just below her ass and carried her to his bed. Gently, he lay her down and covered her body with his own. His mouth explored her neck and traveled lower between her breasts. Her breathing was rapid and the way she latched onto his hair only served to drive him further.

With a growl, he pulled her shirt off and bared her chest to him. His tongue descended and worshiped her nipples one by one, reveling in how much they responded to his touch. He felt her hands move along his head and he nearly fainted when he felt her stroking his ears between her fingers. The action sent shivers running the length of his body. 

“God, Kagome...” he moaned into her breast. Needing to feel more of her, he reached up under her skirt to find her already soaked through her panties. His breath quickened at the knowledge that he had done this to her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as he allowed himself the pleasure of pressing his finger along her sensitive nub.   
The moan that she gave him drove him wild. Wanting more, he slid a single finger inside of her. She was so hot and tight around him he nearly couldn't hold himself any longer. His finger slid in and out of her, finding a rythym of their own. Before he knew what was happening, her loud cries and arching back told him she was close. 

She had waited five minutes for a reply all the while getting more and more aroused. Her shaking hands managed to press the green call button below InuYasha's picture. 

InuYasha stood and removed the rest of his clothing before crawling back to the object of his desire. She had shimmied out of her clothes as well, leaving them both very much naked, in his bed. The feel of her skin against his was enough to send his senses into overdrive. “Kagome...” In response to his unspoken question, she wrapped her legs around him and drew him closer. 

'When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, cause you're amazing just the way you are...'

The music coming from his phone woke him with a start. Fuck that had been so real. His body was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily. Groaning at the interruption, he blindly grabbed his phone and put it to his ear. “Kagome?” his voice asked, husky and low. 

“I don't know what the hell you're doing over there, but stop. Now. I can't take it.” Before he could even reply, she had hung up on him. Staring puzzled at his phone, he considered calling her back and asking for an explanation before the realization hit him. She had felt his dream. 

Kagome groaned and rolled over. Slowly, the feelings did cease, but it took a while. Inwardly, she wondered if this was normal, but she knew InuYasha probably wouldn't know. But the idea of being aroused like she had been right now was not good for her psyche. 

The rest of the day passed without any further incident, much to Kagome's relief. She lay in her bed, still wearing the shirt InuYasha had given her. She didn't want to sleep, but soon her body made the decision for her. She hadn't been asleep long before her mind was once again assaulted with the horrific images from the party and some her imagination simply conjured. She screamed. 

InuYasha's eyes flew open. Kagome was in pain. Without thinking twice, he jumped from his bed and quickly dressed himself. He had just snatched up the keys to his motorcycle and opened his door when he was greeted with the face of someone he was hoping not to have to see for a long time.

Kagome's mother flew to her daughter's room when she heard her scream. Flipping on the light, she saw her child thrashing around on the bed, screaming and crying out. In a flash, she was beside Kagome, rubbing her arms and trying to wake her. 

“Kagome? Honey, wake up. It's just a dream, sweetheart.” 

Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes and focused on her mother's face. Her heart dropped a little when she saw it wasn't InuYasha but she was happy her mom was there nonetheless. Tears were streaming down her face in waves. For several minutes, her mother only held her. She rocked her like she had when she was a child, cooing soothing words into her ear. 

When the sobbing had subsided, the older woman took her daughter's face in her hands. “Are you, alright, dear? Did something happen?”

Kagome hesitated only for a moment before responding. “No, mom. I'm fine. It was just a dream.”

Looking into Kagome's eyes, her mother knew in her heart that she was lying. But she also knew she wouldn't tell her if she didn't want to. She sighed. “Alright, dear. Do you need anything?”

“No. I'm really ok, mom. I swear.”

“Ok, sweetie. Good night.” She kissed her daughter's cheek, stood and turned to exit the young girl's room. Her eyes landed on the wastebasket next to Kagome's desk. She took notice of the skirt sitting there and made a mental note of it before leaving. 

“We need to talk, little brother.” Sesshomaru stated, leaving no room to argue by his tone of voice. 

InuYasha tried anyway. “Not now, Sesshomaru. I'm busy.” he said as he tried to push past him. 

The older demon placed a single hand on InuYasha's chest and forced him back. “I said, we need to talk.”


	6. 2 Visitors, 1 Day

InuYasha's fists cracked at his sides. “I already told ya, I'm busy. Now move.” The half-demon managed to get by his older brother but his blood ran cold when he heard the next words that came from his mouth. 

“She'll die, InuYasha.”

The next morning, Kagome stumbled into the kitchen and greeted her mother with a low mumble. After her nightmare, she had been afraid to go back to sleep. She didn't want her mother asking questions she wasn't ready to answer. Then, on top of that, the entire night her stomach was in constant turmoil from the emotions she knew were InuYasha's. 

He wasn't in pain per say, but she could feel his anxiety and anger like waves within her. She had almost called him, but thought better of it after how she'd treated him last time. She shuddered at the memory. Briefly, she had wondered what could have possibly made him so aroused but she knew it wasn't any of her business. She just knew her mind wasn't ready for her body to take an onslaught like that had been. 

“Any plans today, dear?” her mother asked as she set some rice and fruit in front of her daughter. 

Kagome picked at the rice with her chopsticks. “Yeah. I'm supposed to go meet Sango and help her babysit Kohaku, Rin and Shippo later.”

“Shippo?” her moher said as she put a finger to her lips in thought. “Is that the adorable little fox demon that Rin's family took in?”

Kagome nodded. “Yeah. I feel bad for the poor kid being thrown out of his foster home like that just because they weren't told he was a demon.” 

“Yes. Some people are just so cruel.”

Hojo's sneering face flashed before Kagome's eyes. She sucked in a breath and shook her head to clear the vision. Quickly, she stood and excused herself, having only eaten a few bites of her breakfast. 

A worried expression crossed over Ms. Higurashi's features as her eyes followed her daughter out of the room. Something wasn't right. She inwardly made plans to go talk to the only person who might shed some light on the situation after her daughter left this afternoon. 

InuYasha sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. The only reason he had allowed Sesshomaru to keep him was because he had felt her calm down. And oh yeah, he'd told him she would die. What was he going to say to her? How would he ever explain this or apologize? 

“So, Kagome, where'd you and InuYasha disappear to the other night, huh?” Sango asked her friend, a sly smile playing at her lips. 

“It's not like that, Sango. We just... didn't feel like staying ok?” Kagome responded. Sango knew by the tone of her voice that the subject should be dropped, so she switched to a safer topic. 

“Miroku tried to get me to have sex with him in their hot tub again. Right there in the middle of the party. I swear, I'm gonna murder that lech someday.” 

Kagome didn't say a word as she watched Rin and Shippo color on the floor of Sango's living room. Normally, Kagome would smile and laugh at Sango's antics towards her boyfriend, but she really couldn't handle the drama today. “Hey, Sango? Would you be terribly mad at me if I went home? I'm just not feeling too well today.”

Leaning up from her position on her stomach, Sango looked at her friend in concern. “Sure, Kagome. You gonna be ok?”

“Yeah. Just a bad migraine is all. I'll see you at school tomorrow.” 

“Ok. Text me when you get home, k?”

“Yeah, sure.” She said as she made her way out of the door. She had just turned the corner and was headed for the nearby subway when she felt her phone vibrate. 

InuYasha-  
[hey can we talk?]

Kagome-  
[what's up?]

I-  
[can I come over? Dont wanna do it over phone]

K-  
[not home]

I-  
[where are you? Ill come get you]

K-  
[subway by Sango's]

I-  
[stay there. Ill be there in a minute]

Kagome sighed and sat on the bench next to the entrance to the subway. She spent a few minutes scrolling through her social media just to pass the time. The familiar roar of her hanyou's bike signaled he was close and by the time she looked up, he was screeching to a halt in front of her. She smiled up at him. He smiled back but she knew he was nervous about something. 

InuYasha reached out and took her hand to help her onto his bike. The simple act sent electricity through his veins from the point of contact. Shit. Shit shit shit. Her arms encircled his chest and he had to steady his breathing. Without a word, he put the bike in gear and sped off towards his house. 

The nervous hanyou boy watched Kagome walk over to his bed and sit on it, patting the spot next to her. His stomach was in more knots than he could count. He could tell by her face that she knew how he was feeling. Sitting next to her, he raked his hand though his long silver locks. 

“What'd you wanna talk about, InuYasha?”

“Um... well... there's a couple of things actually...” He said quietly as he launched into the story of the late night visit from his brother.

Slowly, InuYasha turned to face his brother. His eyebrow shot up. “What do you mean 'she'll die'?”

Sesshomaru motioned for InuYasha to come back into his bedroom. Begrudgingly, he complied. He watched as his pompous older brother smelled the air and looked about the room. “So this is where it happened then?”

Red faced with anger and getting impatient, InuYasha yelled, “Are you gonna talk or ain'tcha?”

Sesshomaru glanced at InuYasha briefly. “Tell me, InuYasha. Are you stupid? Or merely just a fool?”

“Look here, Sesshomaru, I ain't got time for this so if you could just kindly go fuck off-”

“InuYasha, why did you not complete the bonding?”

InuYasha stopped his tirade and looked dumbfounded at his brother. “H-huh?”

“The bonding, InuYasha. You performed a bonding here last night. Why didn't you complete it?”

“Com-complete it? I thought I had! It was just a simple aura sharing...”

Sesshomaru rounded on his brother. “An aura sharing? Is that what you think you did? You really are a fool.” He sighed and in a rare show of weakness, rubbed his temple with his fingers. “InuYasha, what you did here with that human girl of yours was no simple aura sharing. You started the process for The Bond.”

“The Bond? But... I thought that could only work if both people have feelings for one another?” Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at his brother and waited for his brain to catch up. When it finally dawned on InuYasha, he let out a little yelp. “So... so Kagome has feelings for me, then?” he whispered, more to himself than his brother. 

The arrogant ass answered anyway. “It would seem as such.”

“But, I didn't mean to start The Bond with her! She doesn't even know what that means, Sesshomaru!”

“Well, little brother, maybe you should explain it to her then since you decided to thrust it upon her.” Cocking an eyebrow at his half-brother, Sesshomaru continued. “Have the dreams started, InuYasha?”

“Huh? W-what dreams?”

“Don't play stupid with me. Dreams. About her. Sexual dreams.”

InuYasha blushed furiously. “I- that's none of your business...”

Knowingly, Sesshomaru simply asked, “And she felt it, yes?”

Quietly, InuYasha answered after a moment. “Yeah...” He looked angrily at his brother. “That's part of the problem!” he said, louder this time. 

“If you don't complete The Bond, it will only get worse. Until the girl is claimed, you will never have control over what you share between you.”

“Cl-claimed?”

Sesshomaru almost rolled his eyes in frustration. “Yes, little brother, claimed. To complete the bonding you must claim the girl as yours by consummating the relationship. If you don't the smell that wench is giving off will attract all sorts of demons her way to take what she doesn't know she's offering. If you don't consumate with her, she will surely die.”

“You don't understand, Sesshomaru. It's not that simple.” 

Kagome stopped him before he could continue. “You're saying that we have to... have sex to complete this bond thing?” she asked.

A red tinge touched InuYasha's cheeks. “Y-yeah,” he said, quietly. 

“I see,” was all she said for several minutes. She startled him when she spoke again.”What... what exactly is this bond?” she asked, voice barely a whisper. 

InuYasha took a moment before answering. “It's kind of like marriage, but more intense. Most demons don't do it anymore because they can't handle how strong the bond can be. See, basically, our auras combined into one and now we share it. Which is why we can feel eachother so strongly.” He looked over at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Her face gave him nothing. Their bond only told him she was overwhelmed. “I swear, Kagome, that's not what I was trying to do. It was an accident,” he said, hoping she might possibly forgive him.

Ignoring his last statement, she asked, “So, your brother says we have to consumate the bond or demons are gonna come after me.” She looked at his face. “Do I really smell right now?”

InuYasha gripped his hands on his thighs at her question. If she only knew. “Kagome, I've had trouble not pulling you into my arms ever since I got close to you. It's your smell but... more.” He turned away from her slightly. “It's goddamn intoxicating,” he said softly. 

She sighed deeply. “Was this everything, InuYasha?”

He looked at her, sheepishly. “Not exactly...” he said as he began another story from earlier in the day.

A soft knock on his front door made his ears twitch. Looking up from his hands, InuYasha made his way over to his window to check and see who was there. What he saw there made his eyes buldge out of his head. “H-hang on, Ms. H. I'll be right down.” He called out the window at the kind woman. His feet carried him to the door quickly and when he thrust it open, the woman clutched her chest in surprise. 

“My, InuYasha. You scared me, dear.”

“S-sorry, Ms. H.” He stood to the side and allowed her to enter. 

“It's alright, hun. Am I disturbing you?”

“N-no. What can I do for you?” the boy asked as he offered her a seat on the plush red couch. 

Ms. Higurashi sighed and took the offered seat. “Well, I think something's wrong with Kagome. She's been acting weird since you brought her home yesterday. She's barely eaten. She threw away that skirt she was wearing and I know she was super excited about it. And... she woke up screaming last night from a nightmare. Tell me InuYasha, did something happen that I should know about?”

“Screaming, huh?” he asked, softly. That must've been what he had felt last night. 

“Yes. Even as a child she never feared her dreams that much. It has me very worried, InuYasha.”

InuYasha ran his hand through his hair, nervous. “Ms. H., I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you this...”

“Please, InuYasha?” The woman's eyes pleaded with his.

He sighed and took a deep breath. “Ms. H., something did happen to Kagome. Something bad...”

Kagome turned to him, red faced and with clenching fists. “You swore you wouldn't, InuYasha! How could you?” He reached out to hold her shoulders but she batted his hands away. “Don't you dare fucking touch me! How could you do that to me!” She screamed at him while punching his chest with her tiny fists. Tears were streaming down her face now.

He latched on to her wrists and gently forced her to stop hitting him. “Kagome, I did it because I'm worried about you. Because your mom is worried about you and loves you. Because I can't stand to see you in so much pain because I love you...”


	7. Back To Reality

Kagome stilled within his hands and looked up at him with her tear streaked face. “Wh-what did you just say?”

Slowly, InuYasha placed on of his hands on her cheek. “I said I love you, Kagome. I have from the day we met. From the moment you shoved me into that tree I've been yours. I would do anything to see you smile and laugh.” He paused and placed his other hand on her cheek, framing her face in his grasp. “And anything to protect you. Even if that means going against your wishes...”

Kagome stood in stunned silence just looking at him. Her entire world had just come crashing down on her head. First, the whole incident with Hojo. Then InuYasha's botched attempt to help her actually puts her in more danger. Then he betrayed her by telling her mother and now he wants to bare his fucking soul like everything was fucking peachy? She backed away from his touch and started shaking her head.

“No. No, InuYasha, You don't get to do that. You don't get to act like what you did was ok because you think you have some fucking crush on me or some shit.” 

Anger flashed across InuYasha's face. Faster than her eyes could track, he was in front of her again, grasping her shoulders. “Were you not listening to me, Kagome? The bond only works if both people are in love.” He watched her eyes and waited for what he said to sink in. He felt when the realization hit her. 

Kagome's eyes widened as the implications of what he said hit her. She had to be in love with him for the bond to have worked. Her brain worked in overdrive, conjuring up happy memories of her and InuYasha throughout the years. Images of their closeness flashed in her mind's eye so quickly she barely had time to register each memory before she was seeing the next. It all led to one thing, he was right. She was in love with him. She supposed she had always known and just suppressed it, afraid to admit it, even to herself. 

Slowly, she moved her eyes up to look into his. The absolute longing she saw there both excited and shocked her. How had she never noticed it before? Her gaze lowered to his full, pink lips. His tongue flicked out briefly to wet them, making them glisten slightly. She found herself wondering what it would feel like to have those lips upon her own again.

InuYasha saw her eyes travel to his lips. Nervously, he flicked his tongue over them. Having her within his grasp was making their bond stronger. He knew exactly what she was feeling. What she wanted. That's when it hit him. Her smell, ten times stronger and more sweet than ever before. His grip on her shoulders tightened. The small gasp she let out only served to make him sigh out, “Kagome...” his voice husky and low. 

In answer to his silent question, she took the final step towards him, pressing herself into him. InuYasha's entire body shook with the effort it was taking him not to do just as his brother had told him to do and claim her. She was so warm against him. Knowing full well it was a mistake, he looked down into her eyes. When they reflected the same desires he was feeling, his resolve melted. Without thinking about it, he tangled his left hand in her hair while his right went to the small of her back, pulling her even closer. 

She watched him lower his head to hers. He searched her eyes one last time for any hint that he should stop, but found none. The centimeters closed between them and their lips touched. The kiss was chaste at first, both of them being nervous. But as the fears started to melt away, the pair opened up to eachother. He felt her arms come around him and grasp his shoulders as he allowed his tongue to enter her. 

He moaned into her mouth. She tasted even sweeter than he had expected. The feel of her body pressed so tightly against him felt better than even his best fantasies had conjured. He both smelled and felt how much she wanted this, enjoyed this, how much her body was responding to him. Emboldened by this, he trailed his fingers up the back of her shirt, craving the feel of her skin. 

The feel of his fingers along her skin sent shivers trailing up and down her spine. No one had ever made her body respond this much simply with a kiss. A pleasured sigh escaped her lips as she ground herself against him, reflexively. When she felt his very obvious sign of arousal, however, her body froze. The memory of feeling Hojo's arousal pressed against her, ready to take her, made her blood run cold. She scrambled away from the boy holding her so fast, she tripped over her own feet and nearly tumbled to the ground. 

InuYasha felt her pull away mentally a split second before her body did. He felt like he was watching in slow motion as she tried to get away from his and started to fall. He caught her by her arms and set her back on her feet with ease. Feeling her flinch at his touch, he released her, though it pained him greatly to do so. His eyes followed her hands as they came up to hold herself. He turned away from her and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Big mistake. He only breathed in more of her scent. Shakily, he said, “I-I'm sorry, Kagome. I never should've done that.” He started toward his bedroom door as he continued, “I'll be downstairs when you're ready for me to take you home.” 

Just as he was reaching for the doorknob she called out to him softly, “InuYasha...” He froze. “Can I... would it be ok if I stayed here again?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I-I can't face my mom now that she knows. Not yet, anyway.” When he didn't answer right away she continued quickly, “And, I really don't want to have another one of those nightmares and it seems like you're the only thing that can keep them at bay.” 

Slowly, he turned to face her. His face was unreadable, but she knew he was feeling scared yet hopeful at her words. “Are you sure, Kagome?” 

She nodded. When he came and simply embraced her, she felt more contentment than than she had felt in days. It would be short lived, however, for school awaited her the next morning.

Kagome looked down at the oversized tshirt and sweats she had borrowed from InuYasha that morning. She'd had to tie off the waistband of the sweats, but it was worth it to her to not have to face her mother just yet. InuYasha had reluctantly agreed to not make her go home that morning as long as she promised to talk to her mother after school. Sighing, Kagome wished there was some way around her promise but she knew there was not. She was just closing the door to her locker when a voice from behind her made her entire body freeze. 

“Hey there, Kagome.” 

Slowly, she turned to face the owner of the voice, clutching her books to her chest. “Ho-Hojo,” she choked out. The final bell chose this moment to ring, clearing the hallway within a matter of seconds. “We-we should get to class...” she said as she tried to walk past him. 

Hojo's arm came out and blocked her path. “What's the hurry, Kagome?” His face leaned in next to hers. She turned away from him and clenched her eyes shut. 

“Please Hojo. I'll scream,” she warned, voice wavering. 

“Oh, I hope you do.” He sneered against her ear as he forced her back against the lockers with his body. 

InuYasha had just sat down in his homeroom when he felt it. Kagome. She was terrified. Jumping up from his seat, he ran out of the classroom just as the final bell rang. He found himself fighting against the current of students as he forced his way through them, desperate to reach Kagome. 

Finally, the hallways cleared and he could run the halls at full speed. It still took him far too long to reach her in his mind. What he saw when he got there made his blood boil. Hojo had her trapped against her locker. He was pulling her face to meet his own. Shaking with fury, InuYasha grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him into the lockers across the hall, making a loud crash. Hojo crumpled into a heap on the floor, seemingly unconscious. 

Turning his attention to the terrified girl, InuYasha gently touched her face with his hand. “Kagome?” he had just managed to whisper when a teacher from a nearby classroom peered out. Taking in the sight of Hojo unconscious on the ground and InuYasha comforting Kagome, the teacher asked, “What is the world is going on out here?” 

Kagome's eyes flew open. Briefly, they met InuYasha's and she tried to project her appreciation of his saving her, again. He nodded his understanding once and she turned her attention to the teacher. InuYasha turned and faced the teacher. Pointing at Hojo, he began explaning, “He was harrassing her. I made him stop.” 

Narrowing her eyes at InuYasha, the teacher looked past him to Kagome. “Is this true?” Unable to speak yet, Kagome simply nodded once. Taking a few steps in the direction of the protective hanyou, the teacher wagged a finger at him, “Young man, you know that violence on school grounds in unacceptable.” 

Growling deeply, InuYasha replied, “So, I was just supposed to let that piece of shit force himself on her right here in the hallway then? Would that be acceptable?” The last word came out as mocking.

Swallowing hard, the teacher responded, “He... he was trying to...” 

“Yes.” InuYasha stated simply. 

“Oh, my. This is quite serious.” She turned back toward Hojo, still on the floor. Stepping back into her classroom for just a moment, a couple of students came out to help Hojo to the nurse's office. When she reappeared, she motioned for them to follow her. “Come with me, you two.” 

Kagome reached out and grasped InuYasha's hand tightly in her own. As soon as their skin made contact, she felt massively better. Calming energy flooded her system, overloading all other senses. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and looked over at the source of her strength. InuYasha squeezed her hand reassuringly as they followed the teacher to the pricipal's office. 

An hour later found quite a scene inside the pricipal's office. Kagome was seated on the couch next to InuYasha, refusing to let go of his hand. It was the only thing keeping her relatively sane in that particular moment. Her mother and Hojo's father sat across from the pricipal in front of them. Hojo had been brought in after he had awoken in the nurse's office. Apparently, the toss InuYasha had given him had caused a broken collarbone and a concussion. InuYasha and Kagome had stayed silent unless directly asked a question. Parents had been called in after the accusations of assault had been made. 

Currently, Hojo's father was screaming at principal Takahashi. “I want that, that thing expelled! It injured my son!” He pointed to his son, playing the part of broken child perfectly. 

Ms.Higurashi was not going to stand for this. “Mr. Hojo, that thing you're referring to is a person just like you or I.” She paused to look back at InuYasha and smile. “His name is InuYasha and he's protected my daughter from your son, twice. So, if anyone here is to be expelled, I expect it should be your son, not InuYasha.” 

Red faced, the older Hojo turned to face Ms. Higurashi. “What exactly are you implying, madam?”

“Oh, was I not clear? Well, let me be crystal clear for you this time.” Her voice was lowering to a level the likes of which InuYasha had never heard from the woman. It reminded him of when Kagome was extremely angry and it deeply frightened him. “Your son attempted to force himself upon my daughter twice in the last 72 hours. InuYasha was there both times to stop him. Is that clear enough for you?” 

Principal Takahashi chose this moment to put up both of her hands and stop the bickering parents. “Alright, please.” She turned to face Ms. Higurashi. “The authorities have been contacted regarding the accusations your daughter has made against young Mr. Hojo, here.” She turned to face Mr. Hojo. “As for your son. Depending on what the authorities find will determine his fate here. If it is determined that he really did attack Miss Higurashi then he will be expelled. For now, he is suspended pending the results of the investigation.” Her eyes fell onto the young couple on the couch. “As for you two. InuYasha, you are also suspended pending the results of the investigation. If it is found that Hojo is innocent, you will be expelled. Miss Higurashi, you will need to stay and answer some questions but after that you will be free to return to class. Everyone understand?” 

Upon hearing that InuYasha was suspended, Kagome turned her frightened eyes to him. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, but stayed silent. Now was not the time to tell her that he would be there to protect her regardless of being suspended or not. A knock sounded at the door before either parent could say anything. The secretary poked her head in and said, “The police are here, ma'am.” 

“Thank you, Akane. Please send them in.” Pricipal Takahashi responded. 

Minutes later, Kagome was being forced to release InuYasha's hand to follow the investigators to another room. Her head was foggy. Her feet were moving but she wasn't sure how. Her hands clutched her arms. She was so cold. 

The next hour passed slowly as she was questioned about the events of the party as well as that morning. She could hear herself speaking but she honestly didn't know what she was saying. Every question they asked forced her further into herself to the point that her conscious mind wasn't even aware of what they were asking her until finally she heard InuYasha's voice. 

“...fucking God if you don't let me in there to see her...”

“Sir, she's being questioned...”

“Does it look like I give a fuck? Open. The. Door. Now.”

One of the men inside with her opened the door, revealing InuYasha. Their eyes locked and the relief she saw in his made her smile slightly. He brushed past both men with ease to kneel in front of her. He took both of her hands in his own. The moment he touched her, her brain began to clear. Her thoughts started to form cohesion. She felt herself relax a little. 

“Kagome?” he probed gently as he stroked her cheek with one hand. 

Her eyes slowly met his. “Take me home, InuYasha. Please?” she managed to whisper. 

Without a moment's hesitation, InuYasha stood and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, protectively. Glaring at the men, daring them to try to stop him, he led her past them towards the hallway. He didn't slow down until they were near his bike. Even the brief moment he had to let go of her in order to climb upon the bike made Kagome shiver at his absence. She snuggled in behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Just before InuYasha started up his bike, Kagome heard a familiar voice from behind them. 

“You might want to actually grow a set and fuck the girl, mutt. If I was a lesser demon, the smell she's giving off would have already made me take the bitch...”


	8. From Whence We Came

InuYasha growled before turning to face the annoyance behind them. “Not now, Koga,” he said through gritted teeth. 

Koga took a few steps toward the couple still seated on the motorcycle. “Ya know, I always thought you had a thing for her while we were dating. Didn't think you'd have the guts to invoke the bond but you haven't completed it yet so I guess I was partially right...” Koga was talking more to himself but the smirk on his stupid pretty boy face told InuYasha he knew he was listening. 

In one smooth motion InuYasha was off the bike and facing the wolf demon. He took a defensive stance, prepared to fight. “Koga, I said to back the fuck off.”

Koga raised one eyebrow and stopped a few feet in front of the hanyou. “Aww look. The poor wittle mutt face got his panties in a bunch because he's too much of a chicken shit to fuck one stupid human girl!”

InuYasha cracked his knuckles at his sides. His teeth were grinding against eachother so much that even Kagome could hear it. He raised one hand and made a point of showcasing his claws. “Koga, turn around now and stop talking about things you know absolutely nothing about before I make you.” His voice was low and calm. Too calm. 

Kagome watched the exchange from her side seated position on InuYasha's bike. Normally, she wouldn't let InuYasha fight like this, but her brain wasn't exactly working properly at the moment. Upon hearing InuYasha's obvious threat, however, her mind snapped into focus. “InuYasha?” she called out, softly. She watched his ears perk up at the sound of her voice. His head turned to look at her, worry in his eyes. “Can we just go, please?” she pleaded, her voice sounding dejected and raspy. 

Nodding once, he turned his attention back to Koga. “We'll finish this later, wolf cub,” he stated matter of factly before returning to his position on his bike. 

The engine had just started up when Koga yelled out, “Oh look, dog breath is even more whipped now than before!” 

InuYasha bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from retorting as he sped off without a second glance back at Kagome's ex-boyfriend. 

Kagome rested her head against InuYasha's back and closed her eyes. For the first time that day, her mind was truly clear. In the back of her head she wondered how much of this was due to the bond but right now she was grateful for the respite. 

After several minutes had passed, she realized they should have reached her house by now and opened her eyes. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she was greeted with the sight of their old elementary school. “InuYasha?” she questioned the back of his head, knowing he could still hear her. He glanced at her with that look that told her to be patient. Which was honestly funny coming from her hanyou considering he was the most impatient person she knew. 

InuYasha pulled his bike into a parking spot and cut the engine. Without a word, he lifted Kagome up into his arms and ran, carrying her to his destination. It only took a moment for them to reach the playground on which they had met. The place that cemented their friendship lay before them. Stopping suddenly, he placed her down gently at the base of the tree she had pushed him into all those years ago. He watched her look up at it then back at him, confusion in her eyes. 

“Kagome... I...I need to tell you something. Show you something.” he nervously raked his hand through his hair before continuing, “I meant what I said the other day. I can barely remember a time in my life when you weren't a part of it.” He brushed his fingers along her cheek. “I think I've been in love with you from the moment you shoved me into this tree.” His eyes found hers and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Gently, he guided her around the tree and laid his hand over a spot on the trunk. “Do you remember when we carved our names on this tree the day we graduated elementary school?”

Shocked by the sudden question, Kagome took a moment to respond. “Ye-yeah. Of course I do.” 

“I never told you this, but I came back later and changed the inscription.” 

Puzzled, Kagome watched as he lifted his hand and showed her the carving underneath. She gasped. He had changed it. They had only written 'Kagome + InuYasha' together but the tree now read 'Kagome + InuYasha forever' with a heart drawn around it. She couldn't help but smile as she laid her hand over it. 

“I-I think I denied it, at first. Being in love with you. I mean, who in their right mind would ever love a dumb half-breed like me,” Kagome's head turned and she scowled at him, “especially someone as... pure as you. You're... you're so full of light and life, everything I'm not. I think maybe that's what drew me to you at first. You were so much my opposite and I craved the adventure being near you promised.” InuYasha placed his hand over her hand, still resting on the tree. His last sentence was a hoarse whisper. “I would do anything to bring that light back into your eyes, Kagome.” 

Silence enveloped the pair as Kagome simply stared at their joined hands above InuYasha's childhood declaration of love. Her head was spinning. Three days ago she'd had an uber protective, grumpy, adorable hanyou best friend. Now she had... an uber protective, grumpy, adorable, sexy as all hell, made things in her stir even as they stood there, pouring his heart and soul out, bonded to possibly for life hanyou... what? Friend? No, not anymore. They could never go back to being just friends now. 

“InuYasha?” she said, quietly. 

“Hmm?” he said, shocked by her sudden break of the silence. 

“The whole thing with Koga earlier, was that... because of the bond?”

InuYasha stiffened at her question. “Yes,” he said gruffly. 

“So, if we don't complete the ritual, stuff like that is just gonna keep happening, right?”

“Yes...” 

“But if we do, then the other demons will know to stay away, right?” She looked at his face. “They'll know I'm yours?”

InuYasha gulped. “That's how it's supposed to go, yeah.” 

Several more minutes passed before Kagome spoke again. “You... you know that Koga and I... that we never...”

“Yeah. I know. I woulda smelled it.” His cheeks flushed pink at the admission, as did hers. 

“Right, duh. I should've known that.” She paused before continuing shyly. “So, I guess you know that I'm a virgin then...” She looked back into his eyes with adoration in her own. “And you helped make sure that I stayed a virgin until I decided otherwise. You've always been there for me, InuYasha, even when no one else was. I always knew you would be there.” 

She turned from him and started to pace. She contnued to speak, though she was more rattling on now. “You know when Hojo was so close to... finishing what he started the only person I could think of was you. Your face was what I focused on. I was screaming in my head for you to come help me and somehow I knew you would. But it wasn't just about you saving me. In that moment I was terrified because I knew the person I really wanted to take my virginity was you. I didn't want to be tainted before I could have you. I've always wanted you, InuYasha. I just... never thought you'd want me. I mean God, have you seen you?” 

His eyebrow raised and he allowed a small smirk to cross his lips as she kept stammering on, not even looking at him. 

“I mean, Jesus, InuYasha, why the hell would you want me? I'm nothing more than a plain, ordinary human girl with nothing to offer you. Why would you love me, InuYasha? What in the hell is wrong with you to make you love a royal screw up like me who can't even tell her best fucking friend that's she's in love with him and he finds out because of some demon bond thing and now I'm royally fucked...”

Never in all the years he had known her had InuYasha ever heard Kagome cuss so much at once. She usually left that to him. He reached out and grabbed her arm as she was making another pass by him. He whirled her around into his arms and pulled her face up to look at him. “Are you done, wench?” He asked with a small grin. 

“Uh...” was all she managed out before he began speaking. 

“Kagome, don't be dumb. I'm the one who doesn't deserve to even think about having you and yet I can't seem to stop myself.”

A small sigh escaped her lips and she laid her head against his chest. “Me either,” she admitted. A few more moments passed before she spoke again. “I want to be with you. InuYasha... if you want me. But... but I can't complete the bond. Atleast not now.”

“Jesus, Kagome, what the hell made you think I wanted to complete the bond?” he almost yelled at her. 

She leaned back from him and stared into his face, hurt and anger apparent on her own. “So... you don't want to be bonded to me?”

A frustrated growl escaped the hanyou. “No, damnit! That's not what I meant! I just meant... of course you don't want to complete the bond. I meant I never expected you to. Atleast, not until you wanted to... if you ever wanted to...”

“Oh.”

“Yeah...”

“So... what about Koga and all the other demons who can smell me or whatever?”

InuYasha pulled her in tighter against his body, protectively. “I'll just make it very clear to them that just because the bond isn't complete doesn't mean they get to have you. I won't let anything happen to you, Kagome. I swear.”

“I know,” she said simply as she cuddled against his chest. 

He held her like that in silence for a long time. Neither of them wanted to move but InuYasha knew that her mother would be home waiting for her, worrying. “I should probably get you home.”

Sighing, Kagome reluctantly pulled away from him. She missed the contentment his closeness brought her. “Yeah, you're probably right.” 

About fifteen minutes later found the pair in front of her house. The sun was high up in the sky above them as they looked at eachother, not wanting to say goodbye. “Do you want to come in, InuYasha?” 

He smiled down at her. “I would. But I think you and your mom should talk. I can come back later though, ok?” She pouted slightly but nodded her head. “Just text me and I'll be here, k?”

“Ok.”

Again, they stood in silence, neither wanting to break it up. Slowly though, InuYasha seemed to make a decision. He rested his forehead against hers and asked, breathily, “Kagome, can I kiss you?”

“Mmm,” was his only response but he was already pressing his lips to hers. She opened up to him almost immediately, allowing him to taste her sweetness once again. He could drown in it, if she would let him. Much too quickly, he drew away from her. The look of her cheeks tinged with pink and her lips swollen from his kiss made things deep inside him stir. He backed away from her before he did something he'd regret. 

“Just text me,” he said simply, voice hoarse from desire as he climbed onto his bike and rode away. 

A buzz from her phone drew her attention from watching him.

Sango  
[hey, I heard what happened. You ok?]

Kagome  
[What did u hear?]

S  
[that Hojo attacked you or something. Everyone's talking about it. They're saying InuYasha put him in a coma. Is that true?]

K  
[no. he just tossed him into a locker. What do you mean everyone's talking about it?]

S  
[have you not seen facebook?]

Kagome opened up the social media app on her phone. What she saw there brought fresh tears to her eyes. People she didn't even know were discussing her private hell in a very public forum. 

I heard she was super drunk and slept with him and now she's crying rape...

Can't believe Hojo would do something like that. She has to be lying...

Hojo's such a nice guy! Why would she say that about him?...

She's gotta be a whore. Have you seen that half-breed she hangs out with? And she used to date that wolf demon, too. I bet she likes it doggy style...

The comments and posts seemed to go on forever. She saw one or two defending her, but most of them seemed to favor Hojo. So lost in reading what people had to say about her situation, she didn't even notice when she sunk down into a ball onto the ground in front of her house, crying and shaking like a leaf.


	9. Boom

InuYasha was barely any distance from the Higurashi Shrine when he felt Kagome. He gripped his handlebars tightly to try to avoid going back. He knew she was probably only upset because of talking to her mother. If she needed him, she would call. He grit his teeth, and drove on towards his own house. 

He had just shut off his engine when he felt his phone vibrate. Climbing down from his bike, he pulled the device from his jeans and looked at the screen. 

Miroku  
[hey wth happened w Hojo?]

InuYasha  
[long story]

M  
[did you really break his neck?]

I  
[no just his collarbone]

M  
[so you did get into a fight then?]

I  
[yep]

M  
[y?]

InuYasha sighed before typing his next reply. 

I  
[he's an asshole.]

M  
[so what they're saying on facebook is true then?]

InuYasha's eyes widened. What the hell? Facebook? He rarely looked at the dumb site. The only reason he even had an account was because Kagome had signed him up for one. After several attempts at remembering his password, he finally was able to log in and see what Miroku was talking about. 

What he saw almost made him crush the phone in his hand. Most of the school was talking about Kagome's accusations of assault and not in a good way. In fact, most of them were defending that fucking piece of shit and blaming Kagome for getting attacked!

I  
[has Kagome seen this shit?]

M  
[I think Sango told her about it. Y?]

Fuck! Shit! Goddamnit! Fucking motherfucker! InuYasha thought. 

I  
[don't believe anything anyone fucking says. got it?]

M  
[course not man. But did Hojo really try to rape her?]

Again, InuYasha sighed. 

I  
[yes]

M  
[fuck]

I  
[yep]

M  
[is she ok?]

I  
[not really but she's holding up. She's strong. She'll get through it]

M  
[anything I can do?]

I  
[right now just try to squash this internet troll bullshit. People like you and will listen to you if you tell them to fucking stop]

M  
[consider it done. Should we come by later?]

InuYasha knew he meant him and Sango. 

I  
[idk if she's up for that yet but i'll see if she wants you guys to come by]

M  
[k. lemme know if we can do anything]

I  
[will do. Thanks man]

M  
[NP]

InuYasha shoved his phone back into his pocket, angrily, and stormed into his house. 

Ms. Higurashi had heard Kagome and InuYasha outside a few minutes ago but now everything was silent and Kagome hadn't come inside yet. Worried, she made her way to the front door and opened it. The sight of her daughter curled up in a ball on their front lawn crying made her heart ache. Quickly, she made her way to her child and bent down next to her. 

“Kagome, sweetie, what happened?”

Slowly, Kagome raised her bloodshot eyes to look at her mother. Without a word, she handed her mother her phone. When Ms. H. saw what people were saying about her daughter, she nearly let out a growl to rival InuYasha's. Sighing instead, she lifted her daughter up on her feet and helped her inside the house. 

Sitting her down on the couch, Ms. H. covered her with the throw blanket. She placed Kagome's phone in her pocket, keeping it there for two reasons. One, Kagome didn't need to be reading this trash right now. Two, Ms. H. had every intention of showing this to the detective on Kagome's case. Her daughter would have justice if it was the last thing Ms. H. did. 

“I'm going to go make you something to eat, ok baby?” she said as she squeezed her child's shoulder reassuringly. Kagome simply nodded once. 

Ms. H. made her way into the kitchen and set some water on the stove to boil. While waiting, she took Kagome's phone out and took screenshots of every post and comment she could find that referenced Kagome, Hojo, or InuYasha and sent them to her own phone. She had just finished checking to make sure she had received them all when she noticed the water boiling on the stove. Putting down the devices, she set to work making Kagome's favorite lunch.

Kagome hadn't moved when her mother came back in carrying a bowl of steaming ramen noodles. She sat down next to her and placed the bowl in her hands. “Kagome, honey, you need to eat, ok?”

Kagome swirled the noodles around with her chopsticks. Her stomach growled but she felt so nauseous. In the back of her mind, she knew she was hungry but she wasn't sure she could eat anything without it coming back up. She looked at her mother's expectant face and turned back to the noodles. Slowly, she put a few noodles in her mouth and chewed. She nearly gagged but managed to swallow. Deciding the broth might be a better option, she tipped the bowl and slowly drank some. Her stomach still rebelled. Defeated by her own body, she set the bowl down on the coffee table. 

“I can't mom. My stomach hurts too much.” She stated, quietly. 

Sighing, Ms. H. handed Kagome her phone back and picked up the bowl. “Why don't you go try to get some rest then, dear?” She started to walk back to the kitchen but turned suddenly and spoke again, “And, don't look at what those awful kids are saying, ok? You know what the truth is and that's all that matters.”

Kagome tried to smile but she felt like she was failing. “I'll try, mom. Thanks.” She slowly got up and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside, she sat down on her bed. Her mind was completely numb. Thoughts whirled through, but they were so disconnected she couldn't make sense of any of them. The last few days had really taken a toll on her psyche. The only time she seemed to be able to form a coherent thought was when InuYasha was nearby. 

Thinking of him brought a small smile to her lips. He was her white knight, her protector, her hanyou. Hers. Yes, he was hers. She knew that now, especially after what they had said to eachother not an hour ago. She replayed his confession over and over in her mind. Never in their lives had she heard him speak so much from his heart, and it was all directed at her. She only wished it hadn't come at such a high cost. 

Feeling suddenly very drained, Kagome lay herself out on her bed, pulled the covers up to her chin, and closed her eyes. She prayed she would be able to sleep without InuYasha's aide, but she knew it probably wouldn't last long. Before long, however, her eyes closed and sleep did overtake her. 

Ms. H. pulled her phone out and found the number for the school in her phone. Hitting the green call button, she awaited an answer. 

“Furinkan High School. Principal Takahashi's office. Akane speaking. How may I help you?” came the cheerful voice of the secretary. 

“Yes, hello. This is Kagome Higurashi's mother. I'd like to speak to Principal Takahashi, please. It's very important.”

“Just a moment, Ms. Higurashi. Let me see if she's available.” Ms. H. listened to announcements about upcoming events at the school while she waited for the secretary. Moments later, the cheerful voice returned. “Ms. Higurashi?”

“Yes, I'm here.”

“Let me transfer you over to Mrs. Takahashi, now.”

“Thank you.”

A small click sounded before another voice came over the earpiece. “Ms. Higurashi?”

“Yes, thank you for taking my call.”

“Of course. What can I do for you?”

Ms. H. sighed deeply. “It seems a good portion of your student body has taken it upon themselves to be judge, jury, and executioner with this incident involving my daughter.”

“What exactly does that mean, ma'am?”

“Several students have taken to bullying my child on facebook and are defending young Mr. Hojo's actions.” 

“I see. Well, Ms. Higurashi, unfortunately, we have no say over what the students post on their personal social media.”

Ms. H. scowled. “So, you're telling me you're going to do absolutely nothing about this?”

“Ma'am, I'm telling we can't do anything about it. Cyber bullying falls under police jurisdiction.”

“I see. Well, thank you very much for your time.” Ms. H's voice said just how very not thankful she was and she hung up. 

Only an hour had passed when Kagome was rudely awakened by yet another nightmare. Her forehead was covered in sweat and she was breathing heavily. Atleast she hadn't been screaming. Her phone buzzing on her nightstand drew her attention. 

InuYasha  
[u ok?]

Kagome   
[another nightmare. Seems I can only sleep w u around]

I   
[it didn't feel as bad this time atleast]

K  
[yeah no screaming]

I  
[want me to come over later?]

K  
[yes]

I  
[k. M+S wanna know if u wanna c them]

Kagome pondered his question. Did she want to see them? Was she up for that? 

K  
[for a little bit. I could probably use the distraction]

I  
[k. I'll let M know. Time?]

K  
[dinner?]

I  
[k. think your mom would be ok with me borrowing her car to go get them?]

Kagome smiled. Her mother treated InuYasha almost like one of her own children, especially after his mother had died, leaving him with no parents and an emotionally and physically absent older brother. He'd asked the question already knowing what the answer would be. 

K  
[course not. I'll let her know you'll be by to grab it]

I  
[ :D ]

Kagome almost laughed. He never used emoji's so it always surprised her on the rare occasion when he did. She put her phone back on the nightstand and looked down at herself. She was still wearing the clothes she had borrowed from InuYasha. They were sticking to her body from all the sweat she had produced in her sleep. Feeling disgusting, she pulled herself from the bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She only had a couple of hours before InuYasha would be by to grab the car. 

InuYasha tossed his phone onto his bed. Good, she wanted a distraction. That was a good sign, right? And her nightmare hadn't been quite as bad as they had been the last few nights. Progress? 

“HEY YOU FUCKING HALF-BREED PIECE OF SHIT!” a voice from outside his window drew his attention. He made his way over to his open window and looked down. There, standing just off of his porch, was Hojo's father, red faced and obviously very angry. 

InuYasha leapt out of his window and landed directly in front of the man, startling him for a moment. “Whatdya want?” He said, rather calmly considering. 

Finding himself, Mr. Hojo stepped up into InuYasha's face. “You disgusting piece of garbage. You think you can put your filthy claws on my son and get away with it?”

InuYasha glared at the man in his face and clenched his fists at his sides. “Your son put his filthy hands on my friend. I stopped him. End of fucking story. Now get the fuck off my property before I fucking make you.” 

Mr. Hojo took a small step backward. “Mark my words, half-breed, you're going to regret laying your disgusting claws on my son. You're not going to get away with this.”

InuYasha was barely restraining himself from picking the man up and tossing him. Teeth clenched, he responded, “I guess we'll fucking see who regrets what, won't we?”

A special kind of evil gleam flickered in the man's eyes. Without another word he backed away towards his car. InuYasha watched the man pull away before leaping back up through his window. 

By the time Kagome had taken a shower, blow dried and brushed her hair, gotten dressed, and talked to her mother about the dinner plans and InuYasha borrowing the car, it was almost time for him to be coming by. She had just picked up her phone to text him when a loud BOOM from outside her window drew her attention. It sounded vaguely like a firework. 

Fireworks? Who would be lighting fireworks this time of year? Curious, she made her way over to her window and looked out. The shrine sat on a hill, so she had a pretty decent view of her part of the city from her window. She could even see InuYasha's house.

When she got to her window, she saw a large pillar of smoke rising up in the distance. Flames licked up toward the sky from a house nearby. Wait, she knew that house. That was InuYasha's house! 

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a scream that her ears couldn't hear. “INUYASHA!” Panic engulfed her and she didn't get the chance to see who was trying to call her at that moment before she collapsed to the floor.


	10. The Light

“Goddamnit, Kagome! Pick up your fucking phone!” InuYasha screamed at his own device as he sped down the road towards her house, breaking every traffic law in the process. He had only been half a block from his house when it had exploded. InuYasha knew he was lucky to have even been that far away. His nose hadn't failed him in the detection of the crudely made bomb someone had put in his basement. He had a pretty good idea who that someone likely was, but he had bigger problems at the moment. 

The second her panic had hit him he knew that she had seen his house. Calling her had seemed the fastest way to calm her mind, but the damn wench wouldn't answer! Shoving the device into his breast pocket of his jacket with a gruff, he rounded the corner leading to her shrine with such speed his knee brushed the ground. The only thing that mattered in that moment was getting her in his arms, safe. 

Ms. H. looked up at the ceiling when she heard her daughter scream. Quickly, she ran up the flight of stairs to her child's room and flew through the door. Finding her crumpled on the floor, unconscious, the woman drew her up into her arms and tried to gently wake her. “Kagome? Honey? Can you hear me?”

Slowly, the girl's eyes fluttered open and looked into her mother's “M-mom?” Before the woman could answer her implied question, her eyes opened wide. Kagome shot up to her feet and looked out her window, hoping it had just been a dream. Seeing the smoke and flames still rising to the sky made her heart skip a few beats. Her eyes had just began to water when her ears picked up the distinct sound of a motorcycle engine. Hope sprang to life within her as she looked down at the entrance to the shrine. Moments later, she saw him racing through the gates and screeching to a halt in front of her house. 

“INUYASHA!” she screamed down at him. His eyes looked up and met hers as he left the bike and jumped straight up to her window. Not caring about formality or etiquette, he gathered her up in his arms and allowed their shared feelings of relief wash over them. 

Time passed, how much neither of them knew. But when InuYasha felt a hand on his shoulder that wasn't Kagome's, he was startled back into reality. His eyes met her mother's and a slight blush crept up his face. 

“InuYasha? What's going on?” she asked him, gently. 

Slowly, he withdrew his arms from around Kagome and faced the older woman, though he did lace his fingers with hers. “Someone planted a homemade bomb in my basement. If I didn't have such a good sense of smell, I would've still been in the house when it went off.” 

Ms. H.'s hand flew up to her mouth and her eyes widened. “Oh my!” She touched his face tenderly, like a mother would a child. “I'm so glad you're safe, dear.” Seeing his embarrassment at her touch, she offered him a small smile before withdrawing. “We should call the police.” 

InuYasha ran his free hand through his hair. “Yeah. And I've gotta call my fu-, my brother. He just got back to the U.S., too. He's gonna be so damn pi-, mad.” He stumbled over his near curses. He was normally better about controlling his mouth around her mother, but his nerves were frazzled. Luckily, she either hadn't noticed or was willing to let it slide under the circumstances. 

Taking on full mother mode, Ms. H. took charge of the situation. “Alright, you call Sesshomaru, then. I'll contact the police. By the time they get here, you should be able to talk to them.” With that, she turned and exited the room, fully expecting her orders to be followed. 

When she had left the room, InuYasha turned back to Kagome and took her face in his hands. “I tried to call you.” He said seriously.

Kagome looked around her room and found her phone face down on the floor by her window. She bent down to pick it up and saw she did indeed have three missed calls from him. “I-I passed out after I saw your house. That must've been when you called.” 

He pulled her back against him and buried his nose in her hair. He held her there for a few moments before pulling back and sighing heavily. “I've gotta call Sesshomaru. Man, he's gonna be fucking pissed...”

Kagome squeezed his arm. “It's going to be ok. You're ok. That's all that matters.” 

He nodded before pulling his phone from his pocket and pulling up his least favorite number. 

'Brother' was the simple greeting he got from the other end of the line. 

“Sesshomaru. We've got a... situation here.”

InuYasha could almost hear his eyebrow quirking. It annoyed him to no end. 'What kind of situation?'

“The kind where I was almost blown to fucking bits. Look, you're gonna have to come back. I'll explain everything when you get here, alright?” His voice was gruff and just shy of yelling. Kagome stroked his back, trying to send him waves of calm. He shot her a thankful look. 

'I'm going to need a little more information to warrant coming back so soon, little brother.'

InuYasha growled. “Didn't you just hear me, you bastard? I. Was. Almost. Blown. Up. Come the fuck home.”

A heavy sigh sounded over the earpiece. 'Fine. I'll be there sometime tomorrow your time. Will you survive without me until then?' 

The dripping sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on InuYasha. “I'll be just fucking peachy. Just get here, asshole.” Without another word, he slammed his finger on the red end call button and shoved his phone back into his pocket. 

Ms. H. chose that moment to saunter back into Kagome's bedroom. “The police should be here, shortly.” A look neither teenager could decipher passed over her face before she continued. “InuYasha, I fully expect you to stay here. Atleast until your brother can get here. Understand?” Her tone was very no nonsense. 

InuYasha stared at the woman, dumbfounded. “Oh, Ms. H. you don't have to do that. I could just go check into a motel or something...”

A slightly angry looked crossed her normally calm features. “Absolutely not. Someone obviously meant to cause you great harm, InuYasha. You're safer here. I'm not taking no for an answer.” 

A light flush of red dusted his nose and cheeks. “Ah, ok. Thanks, Ms. H.”

A wide smile spread across the woman's face. “Good.” The sound of a car pulling in front of the house drew the attention of the trio. “That's probably the police. We should go down and meet them.” Without waiting for a reply, Kagome's mother turned and exited the room. InuYasha latched onto Kagome's hand and the pair made their way downstairs. 

Ms. H. had just closed the door behind the officers as they entered the living room. Kagome recognized one of them as one of the detectives who had questioned her at the school earlier that day. 

“Miss Higurashi, Ms. Higurashi, you requested to see me?”' Detective Totosai asked. 

Kagome looked questioningly at her mother. “Yes, thank you so much for coming, detective. Please, have a seat. We can talk while InuYasha and detective...?”

“Oh, um, Myoga, ma'am. Detective Myoga,” came the reply from the much older man.

A smile crossed the older woman's features. “While Detective Myoga and InuYasha discuss this atrocious act.” She led Kagome and Totosai to the kitchen, leaving InuYasha alone with Myoga.

“So, InuYasha was it?” Myoga asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Ok then. Well, InuYasha, what exactly happened?”

InuYasha drew in a deep breath. “My friend, Kagome, the girl in there, was sexually assaulted friday night by Taro Hojo. I found him forcing himself on her and tossed him. Then, this morning, he was harassing her again at school and I tossed him again, into some lockers which broke his collarbone I guess.” Not that the fucking bastard didn't deserve it, he thought. “Anyway, well, after we both got suspended his dad, Yuu Hojo, got super pi-, mad and came by my house this afternoon. He told me I wouldn't get away with putting my claws on his son. I told him his son wouldn't get away with putting his hands on Kagome and he left all angry. A couple hours later I came downstairs and I smelled something weird coming from my basement so I went down there to check it out. I found a very crudely made bomb that was about to go off. I booked it outta there. I barely made it out of the house before it exploded. I came here because I was afraid Kagome might be in danger, too.” InuYasha stopped abruptly, unsure what else to say.

“So, you suspect your classmate, Taro Hojo, of placing this bomb in your home?” Myoga asked, looking down at his notes. 

“Either him or his dad. I can't be sure. Obviously I didn't see them put it there. It's possible that Taro could have done it while his dad had me distracted. We were yelling pretty loud, so I probably wouldn't have heard him sneaking into the house.”

“Is there any other reason you can think of that they would have done this?”

“Well, they hate demons. They've made that abundantly clear. So, I think the fact that I'm a half-demon is even worse to them because a human chose a demon over another human.”

Myoga scribbled on his notepad. “So, are you and Miss Higurashi together, then?” 

InuYasha glared at the old man as a deep flush crept up his face. “How is that relevant, old man?”

“I meant no disrespect, InuYasha. I simply ask to gain possible motives.” Myoga smiled at him, trying to quell any fears the boy might have. 

“Keh. Well, um, yeah, sort of. I mean we are now. We weren't on friday. Not like that, anyway.” 

Myoga nodded his understanding. “Do you have anyone else in mind who could have a reason to do this?” 

InuYasha shook his head. “Nah. I ain't popular or nothin' but most people don't straight up hate me.”

“Alright. Here, take my card. If you think of anything else or need to contact me you can reach me on my cell anytime, day or night. Ok?” Myoga pulled out a business card from his breast pocket and gave it to InuYasha. 

InuYasha glanced at the card in his hand before sliding it into his back pocket. “Yeah, sure.”

In the kitchen, the Higurashi women were discussing Kagome's cyber bullying problem. Ms. H. pulled out her phone and showed Totosai the photos of the horrible things her classmates had been saying. “Detective, the school says there is nothing they can do about this, that it falls under your juristiction. Please, tell me you can do something about this?” Ms. H. pleaded with the man sitting across from her at the kitchen table. 

Totosai read enough of the comments to understand the jist of what they were. “Well, Ms. Higurashi, cyber crimes are very tricky. But, send me these screenshots and I'll get with our cyber department and see what can be done. I make no promises, though.” 

Ms. H. sighed and nodded her head. “Thank you, detective. I appreciate anything you can do for us.” 

Totosai looked at Kagome. “Miss, if I may, has anyone talked to you about assault counseling?”

Kagome had mostly been ignoring the conversation, allowing her mother to handle things. At his direct addressal of her, however, her head snapped in his direction. “Oh, um, I'm sorry?”

“Has anyone talked to you about seeking out counseling, dear?” His face showed genuine concern. 

“Um... no. No, no one has mentioned it.”

“Well, here. This is the number of a really good assault counselor. Her name is Kasumi Tendo. She's proven to be very helpful to women in your situation. I hope you'll atleast consider giving her a call?” Totosai handed her a slip of paper with a name and phone number on it.   
Ms. H. chose to answer for her daughter. “Thank you, detective. That's very kind of you. We'll look into it.” 

Totosai stood and shook both of their hands. “Please, call me if something else comes up.”

“Of course. Thank you so much for coming out, detective.” Ms. H. said as she lead him back out to the front door. 

Myoga and InuYasha had just finished their own conversation when Kagome came and laced her fingers with InuYasha's, seeking his comfort and trying to provide her own to him. The pair watched as her mother showed the two men out the door and turned back to them. 

“Well, then. Kagome, honey, maybe it's best if your friends don't come over tonight. I think you two have had quite enough excitement for one day.”

Kagome and InuYasha had both completely forgotten about inviting Sango and Miroku over for dinner. In unison, they both pulled out their phones and began typing. Ms. H. almost laughed at the display. 

Kagome-Sango

[hey, some stuff came up. Reschedule?]

InuYasha-Miroku

[hey dude no go tonight. Another time?]

Their phones dinged in unison.

Sango

[of course. Call me if you need me.]

Miroku

[no prob man.]

They both put their phones back in their pockets and looked back at her mother. 

“Well, I suppose we need to go get you some basics, InuYasha. Let's go get some dinner and head down to the mall, ok?” Ms. H. said matter of factly. 

InuYasha widened his eyes at the woman. “Oh, Ms. H., you don't have to go to all that trouble. I'll be fine, I promise.” 

“Nonsense, dear. You atleast need some pajamas, a few days worth of clothes and a toothbrush. We certainly don't have anything here you can wear.” 

Accepting defeat, InuYasha nodded. “Alright. But I'll pay for it with the credit card Sesshomaru gave me, ok?”

Ms. H. smiled at his obvious attempt at conserving his pride. “Of course dear. Come on. I'm starving.”

The trio made their way to a modest sushi restaurant and tried to enjoy their food. Kagome managed to swallow a few bites before giving up. This did not go unnoticed by InuYasha or her mother. InuYasha tried to pay for dinner, but Ms. H. refused his offer, telling him she could atleast pay for his food after the day he'd had. Reluctantly, he had agreed. 

When they arrived at the mall, Ms. H. gave the pair explicit instructions. “InuYasha, go find yourself atleast 3 pairs of jeans, sweats, and shorts with both long and short sleeve shirts to match, two sets of pajamas, some boxers and socks, and bathroom toiletries. I have a few things I need to go find. I'll leave you two to it and meet you back here in about two hours or so?”

InuYasha groaned. He hated shopping. He hated looking at stuff and deciding what to buy. He hated being surrounded by people in close spaces. He hated trying things on, which he knew from experience Kagome would force him to do. He hated everyting about it. But, he knew it was necessary. So when Kagome grabbed his hand and gave him the first smile that genuinly met her eyes that he had seen in days, he just allowed her to drag him along. 

An hour later found the pair in front of a display of satin pajamas that Kagome had spent the last five minutes trying to convince him to buy. “Pleeeeeease, InuYasha? You would look so cute in these!” She held up a matching set of deep red satin pajamas. 

He looked at her and smirked. “Cute? Nuh uh. No way. Definitely not.”

She pouted and gingerly put the pajamas back down on the display. “Fine. I'll go over there and look for some boring pajamas then...” She stuck her tongue out at him before walking away.

InuYasha almost laughed. It was good to see her acting almost like herself. Maybe he should make her get out and do more life stuff. He looked down at the satin pajamas. Shaking his head, he picked them up and tossed them in the cart they had been forced to grab. Damn wench, making me buy these stupid things... he thought. 

Kagome wandered several aisles away from InuYasha in search of more manly pajamas for her prideful hanyou. She had just stopped to look at some flannel ones when a voice from behind her ear drew her attention. 

“Mmm. Damn, what dumbass started up the bond with a fine piece like you and didn't have the balls to finish it?” 

Kagome turned around slowly. Not a foot behind her was a demon she had never met. He appeared to be some kind of flying bug demon judging by the wings on his back. “Excuse me?”

“C'mon, baby. Why don't you come let Gatenmaru show you how it's done...” He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. 

“No! Stop!” She began to try to struggle from his grasp, but he held firmly. She reached out and pressed her free hand on his chest. “I said let me GO!” Suddenly, a bright flash of pink light eminated from her hand and blasted Gatenmaru, forcing him back from her several feet and knocking him unconscious. 

“KAGOME!” InuYasha yelled as he rounded the corner and saw her. She was staring at the hand from which the light had come from. 

She looked up into the eyes of her hanyou, confusion and fear evident. “I-InuYasha?” she whispered.


	11. Will You Die?

InuYasha ran over and wrapped her up in his arms. “Are you alright?” He said against her hair.

“I-I think so.” She pulled away slightly to look up at him. “What... what did I do to him?”

InuYasha captured her fear filled eyes and sighed. “I don't know, Kagome. I've never seen anything like that before.”

She looked over at the moth demon laying on the floor. “Is he... dead?” She whispered. 

Shaking his head, InuYasha replied, “No. His heart's still beating. He's just unconscious.” He could see the relief at his words cross her features. 

“Is it... because of the bond?” 

InuYasha seemed to think on this for a moment before answering. “I don't think so. I've never heard of anything like this happening to a bonded human. Though, with how uncommon it is, I really don't know that much about it.” He ran a hand through his hair and took in a deep breath. “I guess that's just one more thing I'll have to talk to Sesshomaru about...”

Kagome's face scrunched up in worry. “I'm so sorry, InuYasha. I just seem to be causing you so much trouble lately...”

InuYasha's eyes widened as he jerked his head back to look at her. Taking both of her shoulders in his hands, he griped her tightly as he spoke, “You have nothing to be sorry about, Kagome.”

She looked up at his face and offered him a small smile. “Ok, InuYasha,” though her voice wasn't entirely convincing. “Should we do something about him?” She asked, nodding her head in the direction of Gatenmaru. 

InuYasha's face spread into a wide smirk. “Nah. He'll wake up eventually.”

Kagome looked at him disapprovingly, but cracked a small smile at his words. She knew he was right, after all. The demon probably deserved to wake up on the cold floor of the store. “I guess we should probably go pay for all this stuff, huh?”

InuYasha had almost forgotten the reason they were even there in the first place. “Um, yeah. Right.” Pulling her hand into his, he led her and their cart up to the front of the store to pay for the items the Higurashi women had deemed necessary for him. He watched the checkout girl scan each item with a barely cordial attitude and pulled out his emergency credit card to pay for it all. 

“Have a lovely evening,” the girl managed out around her gum as she handed him his receipt. InuYasha snatched it from her and scooped up the bags in his clawed hands. Kagome reached out and took some of them to replace with her hand. He turned his head and smiled softly at her. 

“Find everything alright you two?” The kind voice of Kagome's mother lilted in the air, forcing InuYasha to look away from the object of his affection. 

“Yeah, I think so, mama.” Kagome responded. 

“Good. Let's get you home then.” Mrs. H. turned and led them out of the nearly empty shopping centre. 

Once safely back in the shrine home, Mrs. H. led InuYasha to the one spare bedroom the home had. It had once been Kagome's father's office but had since been turned into a guest bedroom. As such, the room was barely used. 

“Here we are, InuYasha. You can put all of your new stuff in the dresser and the closet. There's fresh towels in the linen closet in the hall and... oh my I'm rambling aren't I?” She giggled softly and sighed. “Just make yourself at home, dear.” She turned to leave the room when a soft cough from behind her paused her movement. 

“Th-thanks, Mrs. H. For everything.” InuYasha's voice was soft, embarrassed.

She turned her head and smiled at the boy. “Of course, dear. You think nothing of it. Goodnight.”

“Yeah. Night.” He watched as she exited, closing the door behind her to give him privacy. InuYasha turned and took in his new surroundings. He barely remembered what this room had looked like when Kagome's father had been alive, and he had never had a reason to enter the room after his death, so the room was foreign to him. 

There was a full size bed against the wall opposite from the door. The dresser stood to his left next to the small closet. A nightstand with a single lamp was next to the bed. No other objects were in the room besides another door between the bed and the closet. His brow furrowed curiously. What could that possibly be for? He strode over to the door and turned the knob. Finding it unlocked, he opened it quickly to be met with a surprised shriek from Kagome. She stood in her room in pajama pants and clutching a shirt to her naked chest. 

“Fuck! Sorry, Kagome...” He said as he quickly shut the door and leaned against it. “Dumbass.” He muttered to himself. A moment later, a soft knock sounded at the door. 

“InuYasha?” 

Sighing, InuYasha turned and opened the door. Kagome entered and closed it behind her. She looked around the room before settling on his flushed face. 

“I haven't really been in here much since dad died.” She uttered softly. She placed a hand lightly on the door between the two rooms. “He... he put this door in when I was just a toddler. He said I always used to cry when I couldn't come see him when he was working in here. So, he made this door so I could come see him whenever I wanted.” She turned and smiled at him. “It hasn't had any use since he died, so I kinda forgot about it or I would've warned you. Sorry about that.”

“Sorry I walked in on ya. I shoulda knocked...”

Kagome leaned up and placed a light kiss on his cheek. “It's really ok, InuYasha. No harm done.” 

The sound of InuYasha's phone buzzing broke the moment. Cursing under his breath, he pulled the device from his pocket to check it. 

Sesshomaru  
[I will be back in town at noon tomorrow. What time should I expect you home from school?]

InuYasha  
[Suspended from school. Come to the Higurashi's. Staying there for now. Long story.]

S  
[What did you do to the house, little brother?]

InuYasha growled.  
[I told you I'd explain when you get here. I didn't do it asshole.]

S  
[This better be a fantastic explanation.]

I  
[Only the best for you bastard]

InuYasha shoved his phone back in his pocket, knowing full well Sesshomaru wouldn't rise to his bait. 

“Everything ok?” She asked as she placed a hand on his arm. 

“Yeah. Just the asshole tellin' me he's gonna be here at noon.”

“Oh. Ok. Well, goodnight, InuYasha.” 

InuYasha looked into her face. He knew she was expecting something from him, he just didn't know what exactly. Her eyes had so many emotions swirling through them he couldn't pick out a single one. Panicking, he simply nodded at her. “Yeah. Night.” He watched as she turned and went back into her own room, softly closing the door behind her. He smacked himself in the head. Idiot. 

Sighing at his own stupidity, he rummaged through the miriad of bags littering the floor of the room. Finding his new toothbrush and shampoo was easy, but when he searched for his pajamas all he found were the silly red silky ones Kagome had liked. That's when he remembered that those were the only ones he had picked up. Well, shit. 

Annoyed, he stomped out to the bathroom and proceeded to take the fastest shower of his life. He pulled on the foreign pajamas and looked at himself in the mirror. Well, atleast red was his color and he had to admit the material wasn't awful. Still, though, silk. He shook his head at himself and trudged back to the guestroom. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. 

A few hours later, InuYasha woke to the sounds of whimpers from Kagome's room. The sounds were light, even he could barely hear them. He furrowed his brow. He wasn't sure if he should try to go comfort her. This was entirely new territory for him. Kagome was his... girlfriend. Shouldn't he go comfort her? But he was a guest in her mother's home. What if she got upset about him being in Kagome's room at night? Another whimper came to his ears. Fuck it. 

Quietly, he made his way over to the door between their rooms and opened it. The creak it gave made him cringe, but no one in the house seemed to hear it. “Kagome?” he called out, softly. No answer. He made a single leap over to her bedside and looked down at her still sleeping form. She was having another nightmare. Slowly, he sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her cheek with his finger. 

“It's only a nightmare, Kagome. Wake up. I'm here. It's ok.” He watched as her eyes suddenly fluttered open and rested on his face. 

“InuYasha?” She whispered as she sat up quickly. 

“Hey, yeah, it's me.” He whispered back as he gripped her shoulders. 

She looked around her room and then back at him. Slowly, a coy smile spread across her face. “You bought the pj's.” 

Face flushed, InuYasha looked down at his attire. “Ye-yeah. I accidentally threw them in the cart when I heard you scream and never went back for different ones.”

“Uh huh.” Kagome smiled at him knowingly. 

He turned back to face her, a serious look on his face. “You ok?” 

Smile fading, Kagome looked down at her hands and sighed. “I know it's only been a few days... I just wish I could atleast sleep without seeing him...”

His hand sliped over hers and rubbed her skin gently. “Do you think... are you... damnit...” InuYasha stumbled over his words. He growled low in frustration. She looked up at him quizzically. Sighing, he tried again. “Will you call that Dr. Tendo I heard that cop tell you about?”

Kagome stiffened slightly. “You... you heard that?”

His ears twitched as he pointed to them. “Hanyou hearing, remember?”

“Right... duh.” Kagome shifted nervously. “I... I want to. I just... I don't know how to talk to a stranger about the most traumatic experience of my life, InuYasha.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. “Maybe that's not how it works, Kagome. She'll probably ease into it. I don't think she's gonna force you to talk about it the second you enter her office.”

“I know you're probably right.” She looked up into the eyes that had captivated her from the moment she saw them. “Do you think... would you come with me? I mean if it's allowed or whatever?”

InuYasha pressed his forehead against hers. “If you want me there, I'll be there.” He whispered. 

“Thank you.”

Leaning back slightly, he asked, “Do you need me to stay? Or...”

“Please? Atleast until I'm asleep?” 

Without another word, he crawled over to the other side of her and gathered her up in his arms. More for his own pleasure than her comfort, he buried his nose in the side of her neck and breathed her in deeply. She snuggled back against him. 

“You always do that.” She whispered against her pillow.

His body froze. “Do what?”

Kagome turned her head to look at him. “Smell me.” 

Looking away from her face, he said, “S-sorry...”

“No, I like it. It's... comforting.” She turned away and relaxed against her pillow once again. “It's part of what makes you, you.” She whispered. 

“Oh,” was all he said before he returned his nose to the side of her neck. Soon enough, he felt her breathing even out, she was asleep. He was about to untangle himself from her but when he went to move, she clutched his arm to her chest, holding him in place. Apparently, even asleep Kagome didn't want him to leave. He sighed and relaxed against her. Atleast with him here she wouldn't have any nightmares. 

The next thing InuYasha knew, the sun was blinding him and he could hear the occupants of the house bustling about. Blearily, he looked over Kagome at her clock radio on her nightstand. Seven a.m. Gently, he shook Kagome. “Hey, ya gotta wake up, Kagome. You'll be late for school.”

Her face buried in her pillow, Kagome mumbled, “M -ot -ing.”

A low rumbling laugh escaped InuYasha. “What was that?”

Slowly, she turned her head to face him. “I'm not going. Mom told me I didn't have to go for a couple days.”

“Oh. Ok.” InuYasha reached both of his arms above his head and stretched. “I think your mom is making breakfast. You should come eat atleast.” 

“Yeah. I'll come down after I take a shower. You go on ahead.” She surprised him by placing a soft kiss against his lips. “Thanks for staying last night.”

His characteristic smirk crossed his face. “Course. Who wouldn't want to sleep with a beautiful woman?” 

Kagome slapped his chest. “Stop that. Go on. Go get your breakfast. I know you'll still be eating by the time I get down there.” 

“Hey!”

“Tell me I'm lying, InuYasha.”

A playful scowl appeared on his face. “Feh.”

“That's what I thought. Now go.”

InuYasha made his way back to the guestroom and closed the adjoining door behind him. He quickly went through his morning routine, teeth, hair, fresh clothes, and made his way down to the kitchen. He could smell the bacon and pancakes from Kagome's room and his stomach did somersaults in anticipation of a home cooked breakfast. 

“Hello, InuYasha dear.” Mrs. H. greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. Without prompt, she sat two plates in front of him, one with no less than ten plate sized pancakes and the other piled high with scrambled eggs, several pieces of bacon and a large helping of hash browns. 

“Mornin' Mrs. H. Man, this looks great!” He managed to get out before shoveling a huge amount of eggs into his mouth. 

Mrs. H. giggled. “Thank you, InuYasha. I've always enjoyed making western style breakfasts for the kids.” She sat down next to him and sipped a cup of tea. “Any plans today?”

“Sesshomaru will be here this afternoon. So, dealing with him, I guess.” 

“Hmm. Well, I have several errands I need to run today so I won't be home until this evening. Sesshomaru is of course welcome here, InuYasha. There's food in the fridge and ramen in the cupboards when you get hungry later. Kagome has a plate keeping warm in the oven. Tell her for me, will you dear? I really do have to run.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, hun. Try to have a good day, alright? I'll check on Kagome later.”

“Uh huh.” 

Mrs. H. took off the apron she was wearing, grabbed her purse from the counter and made her way out of the kitchen. A few minutes later Kagome joined InuYasha. 

“Your plate's in the oven. Your mom had to leave. She'll be back late.” 

“Ok.” She took her food from the oven and sat down next to him. They ate in companionable silence. This was one of the reasons InuYasha loved her. She didn't feel the need to force a conversation on him just to fill the silence. She was just as happy staying quiet as he was. 

After their meal was completed, the pair made their way to the living room and sat on the couch together. They sat mindlessly scrolling through channels, occasionally stopping for a good show here and there, and snuggling close. For the first time in days, Kagome felt almost normal. Before they knew it, the doorbell was ringing. InuYasha looked down at his phone. It was past noon. Damn, the bastard is here.

“I'll get it.” He grumbled as he dislodged himself from her. He made his way to the door and thrust it open, angrily. 

“Hello, little brother.”

“Hey asshole.” InuYasha replied as he stepped aside and waved his hand, sarcastically inviting him in. 

“Charming as ever, I see.” The older man retorted as he stepped inside. “Now, why is the house no longer standing, InuYasha?” Sighing, InuYasha explained everything from the past few days. He didn't go into details with Kagome's involvement, but he made it clear she was involved. “I see. And the girl? You say she did something yesterday?”

“Yeah. A demon came after her at the mall last night...”

“I warned you about that, little brother.”

“Shut up! Anyway, he attacked her and she... I don't know. Some light came from her and it knocked him back and unconscious. I've never seen anything like it. Not from a human anyway. Is it... did I do this to her?”

“I suspect not, InuYasha.” 

Without another word, he made his way to the living room and addressed Kagome. “Tell me, girl, are you prepared to die?” He said a split second before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up against the wall.


	12. Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back? Back again? Kat is back! Tell a friend!   
> Lol, sorry I couldn't resist.   
> OMG you guys I'm SO SO SO SO SO sorry for my extremely long absence! I promise I never forgot about you. This chapter is probably not worth that long wait, I'll warn you, but I swear I will try not to make you wait like that again! There were just a lot of things that happened to cause me to put this on the back burner. The holidays, we had a very sick kitty who unfortunately passed right before Christmas, then after the holidays my job was severely stressing me out and all of that just kind of sapped all my energy from me for a long time. But, I'm back! I swear I will do my best to not do that to you guys again.   
> For you Sesshomaru fans out there, enjoy my tiny little excursion into him in this chapter! I hope you enjoy! Please review!

Kagome screamed as she was slammed into the wall above the couch. InuYasha reacted in an instant, pulling back to punch Sesshomaru in the face. Giving his half-brother a sideways glance, Sesshomaru spoke calmly, “Touch me and she will die, InuYasha.” This caused him to stop midswing, but what caught his attention next was not his asshole brother, but the woman he held captive. 

Kagome's entire being had begun to glow a soft pink color. Her eyes were closed tight in utter fear. But InuYasha watched as she brought her hands up to the arm Sesshomaru was holding her up by and all that light emanating from her shot through her hands and into his brother. Surprisingly, it actually forced him to let her go and she dropped unceremoniously back onto the couch, clutching her throat. 

“What the FUCK, Sesshomaru?” InuYasha yelled as he went to check on Kagome. 

“I apologize, Miss Higurashi for the manner in which I conducted my experiment.” Sesshomaru said, coolly as he quietly slipped his injured hand away. 

InuYasha, having found no immediate harm to Kagome, stood and faced his brother, fists at his sides, ready for a fight. “Experiment? Are you fucking joking you bastard?”

“Yes, InuYasha, experiment. You said this happened when a demon attacked her and I needed to know exactly what kind of power your human girl was using in order to help you both. Now I know.” 

“Oh yeah? Well, what is it then?” InuYasha said, obviously still angry. 

“Simply put, Miss Higurashi is a miko, a rather powerful one from the looks of things.”

Kagome spoke for the first time, “A miko? But, I've had no formal training in spiritual powers. This shrine has been that in name only for over 3 generations. None of my family actually practice any type of shrine magic.”

“This is inate power, given to you either through your genetics or possibly reincarnation. The fact that you have had no training just makes you more dangerous to yourself and those around you, including InuYasha. If I was any less powerful I would be atleast unconscious, and a lesser demon would probably be dead from an attack like the one you just did. I suspect that InuYasha's foolish act of starting the bonding with you awoke your spiritual powers.” 

InuYasha sat next to Kagome and stared at his brother, dumbfounded.

Kagome took his hand, attempting to reassure him through her touch. “How do I make myself not dangerous?”

“You'll have to seek out training and learn to control these new powers. Right now you're reacting out of self-defense. In the wrong situation, you could end up hurting InuYasha, unintentionally. Atleast, I assume you do not wish to harm him.”

“I wouldn't even know where to begin to look for that kind of training.” Kagome stated, worry in her eyes. 

“There is a place I could direct you to. I've sent another young girl there recently after learning she too had some power of her own. Though admittedly not as much as you possess.”

InuYasha's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What young girl?”

Sesshomaru actually sighed. His brother was exasperating. “I have recently... adopted a human girl by the name of Rin. She's 10 years old and an orphan. I found her scrounging around outside my condo in Osaka the last time I was there for business. She began showing signs of similar powers so I found someone to help her. She's right here in Tokyo. Her name is Kaede and she comes highly recommended for matters such as these.”

InuYasha couldn't believe his cute ears. “You... adopted a human girl?” His face was wide with both shock and horror.   
In response, Sesshomaru actually uncharacteristictly rolled his eyes. “Yes, little brother. That is all I will say on the matter at this time.” He turned slightly toward Kagome. “I will leave Keade's contact information for you if you wish to control your powers, Miss Higurashi. That is all the help I can offer you.” 

Kagome was still in a state of shock at learning what she was, so her voice wavered. “Th-thank you, Sesshomaru.” 

Once again addressing InuYasha, “I must now go speak with the human authorities about this matter with the house. Should I assume you've told them your suspisions of who is behind the destruction of your home?”

“No shit, Sherlock.” InuYasha spat out. 

“Your antics are not amusing little brother.” 

“Ain't tryin' to be amusing, asshole. We done now?”

“Yes, we are done.” He bowed his head slightly to Kagome. “Good day to you, Miss Higurashi.” Turning to leave, he paused and looked back at his brother. “InuYasha...”

InuYasha rolled his eyes and stormed off towards the front door. His stupid brother really loved his propriety. Opening the door with a flourish and holding his arm out, InuYasha said, “There ya go, princess.” Sesshomaru merely gave his brother a sideways glare as he exited the house. InuYasha slammed the door behind his brother and made his way back to Kagome. 

She looked up at him as he entered the room. Her eyes showed her confusion and slight fear, not to mention he could feel her trepidation through their bond connection. He sat down next to her and took her hand. She looked up at him. “I'm a miko. And I never knew. How is that even possible, InuYasha?”

Sighing, he tried to comfort her as best he could, “I don't know, Kagome. But we'll contact this Kaede and see if she can help you at all, ok?”

“Yeah. The last thing I want is to hurt you.” 

He took her face in his hands as he spoke, “Even if you did, I know you wouldn't do it on purpose. You barely left a mark on Sesshomaru. Yeah, I ain't as powerful as him, but I'm more powerful than most give me credit for. I'll be fine.” 

She flashed him a bright smile, something he hadn't truly seen in several days. “What would I do without you, InuYasha?”

He leaned in and gently kissed her. “The real question is, what would I do without you?”


	13. Chapter 13

The next several weeks went by in a blur for the newly coupled pair. Slowly, InuYasha saw the light return to Kagome's eyes, but he could still see the darkness within and it killed him inside. He was still suspended from school as the police had not yet concluded their investigation. Kagome had of course long ago returned, but without Hojo there she seemed to be doing mostly ok. InuYasha was still residing in the Higurashi shrine, sleeping beside Kagome every night without her mother's knowledge. He hated feeling like he was taking advantage, but it would take months for his house to be rebuilt after the explosion and he did need a place to stay. Sesshomaru had of course suggested a hotel but Mrs. Higurashi had quite clearly stated that InuYasha would be staying with them, stopping even the great daiyoukai from arguing.

 

Kagome was still refusing to see a trauma counselor, even though InuYasha brought it up almost every night as he held her close. Nothing he had tried had worked. He had given every approach he could think of a try, short of dropping her in the woman's office unannouced and forcing her to sit there. No, if she was going to go it had to be her choice, he knew this, but he also knew she needed to go whether she realized it or not. Every night he held her as her nightmares subsided. They had lessened in intensity but not in frequency. Her mother was still unaware of them, at Kagome's request. InuYasha hated lying to the woman, but ultimately it was up to Kagome.

 

Fortunately, no more youkai had attempted to claim Kagome. InuYasha didn't know if this was because she still smelled a great deal like him even though they had yet to be together in that way or for some other unknown reason. Honestly, he was just happy that he didn't have to keep fending them off. He feared for Kagome's psyche if they were common place.

 

There was one shining beacon, however. Kagome had finally contacted Kaede after weeks of debating whether she should. She had been afraid of what the woman would tell her about her powers, fearing she wasn't a miko as Sesshomaru had theorized, but something else much more sinister and dark. Today was the day she would have her initial meeting with the woman. InuYasha was currently rolling his eyes at his girlfriend agonizing over whether it was appropriate to wear her school uniform to such a meeting.

 

“But it's so revealing, InuYasha,” she tried to tell him.

 

“It's the same uniform thousands of other girls have to wear. You don't have time to change after school. As it is I'm gonna have to book it to get there on time,” he countered.

 

Sighing, she threw up her hands in frustration. “Fine! But if she gives me dirty looks I'm blaming you.”

 

“Ok, wench,” he countered with a small wink.

 

Rolling her eyes, Kagome picked up her giant yellow bookbag and went to sling it over her shoulder when it was snatched from her grasp. She smiled at her boyfriend's back as she followed him out of the room. She knew he was trying to be helpful to her as much as he could be, no matter the circumstances. She had fallen a bit behind in school due to her absence for several days and her lack of concentration. The teachers were trying to be understanding but Kagome knew that would only last so long. She had been working hard to catch up and she finally felt like she was getting close.

 

InuYasha gave her mother a quick peck on the check as he made his way out of the house. Kagome didn't miss how his face had tinged pink at the gesture. Smiling at her mother, Kagome went to give her a hug goodbye.

 

“Have a good day, dear. Keep that one out of trouble,” she said with a wink.

 

Giggling slightly, Kagome just shook her head at her mother. “Yes, mama. Love you.”

 

“Love you too, honey. See you tonight.”

 

Kagome flew out of the house and threw her leg over the back of InuYasha's motorcycle. Handing her the spare helmet without a word, InuYasha didn't make a move until she had it secured and wrapped her arms around him. His entire body clenched having her pressed up against him like this but he grit his teeth and started the bike. Gravel spit out behind them as he sped out of the shrine at a nearly illegal speed.

 

The school day was so uneventful she would even venture to call it boring. She was so anxious about this meeting with Kaede it seemed the clock was moving at half it's normal speed. Several times she caught herself tapping her pencil on her desk in the most annoying manner, something she hadn't ever been prone to before. When the final school bell rang, she was the first one out of the classroom.

 

Almost immediately, she was met with the smirking face of her hanyou. “Where you goin' in such a hurry, wench?”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. “Shut up, jerk,” she said with absolutely no conviction. He grabbed the books from her arms as she went to open her locker to grab her backpack.

 

A whisper came close to her ear. “Make me, wench.”

 

A slow shiver ran up her spine at his words. She had to admit, she had been tempted more than once to give in to her desire for him, but her recent experience kept those thoughts thoroughly in check. Smiling coyly up at him, she leaned up and gave him a slow, lingering kiss. Hearing the soft whine escape him, she pulled away, satisfied with her win.

 

Shutting her locker, she went to grab for the books he was holding for her only to have her bag ripped from her hands and the books shoved in for her. InuYasha slung the bag over his own shoulder and reached down to grab her hand. Accepting the offer, Kagome squeezed his lightly.

 

“C'mon, InuYasha. We have to hurry if we're going to make it there on time.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya,” he said as he walked briskly beside her.

 

The 30 minute ride to the shrine where Lady Kaede held residence was anything but comfortable, for either party. InuYasha was finding it harder and harder to keep his hunger for his girlfriend in check everyday. Literally the only thing holding him back was that bastard Hojo and what he'd done to her. Having her pressed against his back so seductively was not fucking helping. Kagome wasn't having much better luck with her own lustful predilections. Her thighs wrapped around his simply pulsed with the need for more contact. She squeezed her arms tighter around him, hoping to satiate her desires a little more before they arrived at a place quite inappropriate for such thoughts.

 

As InuYasha dropped his foot on the kickpedal and drew the key from the ignition, an old woman in traditional miko garb appeared at the entrance to the very old looking shrine. The building was indeed very old, but well kept. Single story and painted a simple white with natural wood bordering its windows and the small porch, it held an inviting quality that was hard to explain in words. It just was. Slowly, Kagome slipped from the back of the bike and gave a low bow to the woman before her.

 

“Hello. Lady Kaede, I assume?” she greeted.

 

The old woman looked at the young girl before her with her one good eye. A black eyepatch covered her right eye, though it did not completely cover the scar surrounding it. It was long, white, and jagged, going from the bottom of her forehead in a diagonal leftward slash to the top of her right cheek. A small, comforting smile spread across the woman's face.

 

“Ye be correct, child. I be Kaede and ye are Kagome. Come, we have much te talk about.” With that quick command, Kaede turned and headed back inside the shrine, obviously expecting her orders to be followed.

 

Kagome turned to InuYasha, having climbed off the bike and leaning against it casually. He shrugged at her and made a move towards the shrine himself. Kagome quickly followed, latching her hand within his own for security.

 

The inside of the shrine was just as plain as out. Plain wooden floors held nothing more than a few tall candlesticks, a small table in the center, and a few rolled up futons along the far wall. Kaede was kneeling in front of the table and gestured for the two of them to join her as they entered.

 

“Kagome,” Kaede looked over at InuYasha, sitting just a bit back from Kagome, though still within touching distance, “who be this friend ye bring with ye?”

 

A slight blush dusted Kagome's cheeks. “My apologies, Lady Kaede, InuYasha is my boyfriend. He drove me here. I do hope that's alright?”

 

Kaede waved her hand dismissively. “Of course it is child. I simply wished to know who I invite into my home.” Neither Kagome nor InuYahsa missed how she lingered on his obviously hanyou appearance, namely his ears. “Welcome, InuYasha, Kagome. Now, let's get to it, shall we? Kagome, lend me ye hand for a moment.”

 

Kagome tentatively held her right hand out for the miko's inspection. The old woman took the offered appendage and held her own above it, muttering some kind of incantation. After a moment, a slight tingle started within Kagome's hand, rising up through her fingertips. Suddenly, a bright flash of heavy pink light flew from her fingers and straight into the old miko, knocking her on her back. Gasping, Kagome ran over to her and knelt down.

 

“Lady Kaede, are you alright?” she asked, genuine concern rising in her features.

 

Kaede slowly rose back up to a sitting position and gently shook her head. “Aye. I be alright. Just had some wind knocked from me lungs is all.”

 

InuYasha spoke up for the first time, “What was that, old hag?”

 

Taking no notice of the disrespectful manner in which the boy addressed her, Kaede looked at him with clear eyes. “A test, InuYasha. To see what kind of power she possesses.”

 

A scowl set on his features. “And? What is it?”

 

“Miko power. The most powerful raw power I've ever seen. A rare thing indeed.”

 

Kagome's hand flew to her mouth. “So, it's true then? I'm a miko?”

 

“Aye, child. And not just any miko. If my suspicions be correct, ye be the miko of great legend.”

 

InuYasha stood and brandished his fist at the woman. “What the hell are you babbling about, old woman? What fucking legend?”

 

“InuYasha! Sit!” Kagome yelled at him.

 

A startled look crossed the hanyou's features, but he did indeed sit at her command. A small chuckle came from the old miko at the display.

 

“Please, Lady Kaede, continue,” Kagome prompted.

 

A far off look came over the old woman's features before she began speaking. “There be a legend from long ago, about 500 years I believe, of a powerful young miko and an inu hanyou. Many of the intricate details have been lost to the passing of time. But I will tell ye what I do know.

 

Long ago, in the time of the warring states, a powerful miko was essential to the survival of humans and demons alike in that most turbulant of times. She took pity on anyone who was injured because of war or prejudice, as she held none herself, and cared for them all. Her name was Midoriko. She was much of the reason that humans began accepting demons living amongst them, hence the highly tolerant atmosphere we have today.”

 

InuYasha huffed and mumbled under his breath, “Tolerant my ass.” Kagome glared at him and he pursed his lips at her.

 

Kaede continued, ignoring the interruption, “Eventually, she herself fell in love with a half demon. A powerful dog demon whose name has been lost over time. They were set to become married, but on the day of their wedding, the villagers she had come to know and trust attacked them both, killing the demon with the aide of a magical item. No one knows what exactly. That is a mystery. They then mortally wounded Midoriko. The legend states that she used the last bits of her spiritual power to place a blessing on the love she would never come to fully know. She vowed that their souls would one day return and finish what they had started by bringing humans and demons together, once and for all. It is said that if these two should ever become a bonded pair the power they would possess together would be unrivaled, even by Midoriko herself.” Kaede paused and looked over at the hayou in her presence. “Tell me, InuYasha, have ye bonded with Kagome?”

 

Kagome and InuYasha shared a collective gasp.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, please, please leave me a comment! I swear I love them! Even if they're just one or two words! <3

**Author's Note:**

> This story is rated “M” because it contains acts of sexual assault, violence, rape, mild self harm, and consensual sexual situations. If any of these things are a trigger for you or you are easily offended, I highly suggest a different story. Reader discretion is advised. 
> 
> If you do wish to continue, I have placed an [*] at the beginning and end of each section involving acts of sexual violence should you wish to skip those parts. 
> 
> I do not own InuYasha.


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